The High Cost of Ambition

Angel and Susan had been together since they were teenagers. They had faced countless obstacles but always managed to come out on top. They were the kind of couple people admired and looked up to.

The year Paula was born, Angel started his undergraduate degree in Business. It was a tough road, juggling classes, work, and a new baby, but he was determined to provide for his family. And he did his best by working several odd jobs while attending classes full-time. Susan realized she had discovered a new secret about Angel at this point. He was a workaholic and ambitious, putting his career above his family's needs.

Angel painfully remembers studying for an undergraduate mid-term law exam on the day Susan went into labor in the hospital. He was torn between the love of his life and the future he had been working towards for years. While Angel felt that his ambition would benefit the entire family, it was not the view held by Susan.

After Paula was born, many people predicted their future was doomed. Two teenagers with a baby on the way? It was a recipe for disaster. But Angel was determined to prove everyone wrong. He continued to pursue his studies while working several part-time jobs to support the family and pay for his school expenses not covered by financial aid.

But after receiving his undergraduate degree in business, Angel wanted more. He knew the only way to provide for his family was to continue his education. He moved his family to Maryland to enroll in a Ph.D. program in Economics, studying late into the night while Susan took care of Paula.

Susan was supportive, but it was challenging. She missed her husband and the man she fell in love with. Angel was constantly studying or working at his other full-time job to pay for his classes. It was exhausting and emotionally challenging for him and his family, but Angel decided to stay the course and continue to pursue his studies.

Undoubtedly, as Angel’s educational demands increased with the intensity of his graduate studies, Susan grew furious. Paula felt short-changed, believing her father valued his studies more than hers.

As the years passed and Angel completed his Ph.D., resentment grew in his family. Even after landing a job as an entry-level Economics Professor at a midwestern university, everyone knew his newly discovered workaholic trait would remain the same since the job was quite demanding and competitive.

He worked hard, dedicating himself to his research and his teaching. He was published in academic journals, and his reputation grew. But the price he paid was high. He was never home, never able to be there for his family. Susan and Paula grew distant, resentful of the man who had sacrificed so much for his career.

And then, one day, Angel got the call he had been waiting for. The nation's central bank offered him a job as an Economist. It was a dream come true, the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice.

But it was also the beginning of the end.

Angel moved the family to New York City, where he threw himself into work. He was constantly traveling, constantly working, and striving for more. He was never there for his family, never able to be the husband and father they needed.

Susan grew resentful, angry that her husband had abandoned her and their daughter. Paula grew distant, feeling like she had lost her father to his work.

And then, one day, his marriage came crashing down. Although this did not surprise anyone, he felt he had let down his family. The stress of his ambition has taken its toll.

Sadly, instead of picking up the pieces and trying to make amends, his ambition took the better part of him. He continued to charge ahead and grow his career. He accepted a Chief Economist role with a top Wall Street bank.

He would work in this job for 25 years until his retirement achieving many of his career goals. But looking back, Angel wonders whether he would have been better off listening to all the warning signs along the way. His marriage collapsed, and his relationship with his daughter Paula was damaged forever.

Was it all worth it? That is a question that haunts Angel to this day!