I was offered a job in another city and taking it could end my marriage. Am I wrong for considering it?
I’m in my late 20s and have been married for a few years. We’ve been together for several years total. There isn’t some huge dramatic reason behind all of this. Nobody cheated and there isn’t abuse or anything like that. I’ve just gotten to a point where I’m really unhappy with my life and I’ve been wanting a change for a while.
I’ve wanted to move to a different city for a long time. I want a different job and honestly just a fresh start. My partner doesn’t feel the same way. They like where we live, they love their job and they have family close by. They don’t really have the same desire to pick everything up and start over somewhere else.We’ve talked about this a lot and we’re even in therapy now. The more we talk about it though the more I feel like we just want different things out of life.
Recently I applied for a job in another city. I honestly wasn’t expecting much from it but they offered me the position. I haven’t accepted it yet.
The job itself isn’t necessarily some dream career. It would just give me a decent income and a way to get into a city where I actually want to live. It would also give me the chance to start over and figure out what I want my life to look like.
The problem is that taking the job would most likely mean the end of my marriage.
My partner doesn’t want to move and I understand why. They have their own life here and I don’t think it’s fair for me to expect them to give all of that up just because I want something different.
But I also don’t know if it’s fair for me to keep giving up what I want just to keep the marriage together.
That’s the part I’m struggling with.
I feel like if I take this job I’m choosing a city and a new life over my partner. But at the same time I feel like this has been building for a long time and the job is just forcing me to actually make a decision.
If I take it I would basically be starting over completely. New city, new job, new apartment and potentially a divorce after being married for several years. That honestly scares me.
But the weird part is that the idea of starting over also feels like a relief.
I love my partner and I don’t want to hurt them. I don’t want to throw away everything we’ve built together. But I also don’t want to spend the next several years being unhappy and wondering what would have happened if I had taken the chance when I had it.
I haven’t made the final decision yet. I’m still thinking about it and part of me is hoping there’s some answer I haven’t thought of yet.
So am I being selfish for seriously considering taking this job even though I know it could end my marriage? Or is there a point where you have to be honest with yourself and admit that staying in a marriage just because you’re afraid to start over isn’t fair to either person?
Posted Aug 21, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC