Karen Anne Hope Andrews - Searching for a New Hope
ORIGIN Mom of 2 beautiful children, wife of 21 years, happily married, happily professionally engaged in my dream career. Clinical Psychologist since 2009, 6 years in public health service in South Africa, working in private practice Dubai since 2014. I love what I do and I know that I'm good at it. I have achieved all the goals I set in my 20's. I'm so grateful to be working in a fascinating, exciting, meaningful field of work that also allows me to be flexible - I work online, from home. I am professionally and personally fulfilled, with a sense of purpose that is deeply meaningful. The bottleneck is... there is nowhere to go. There are no promotions or natural career progression. I already study every year to keep my skills sharp and stay mentally engaged. I could do a PhD, but it wouldnโt increase my income. I could open a clinic, but the bureaucratic burden and responsibility of managing other psychologists in the UAE is unappealing and feels draining. DESIRED FUTURE STATE Iโm looking for clarity about what comes next. I love the work I do and would happily continue if it allowed me to earn significantly more. Right now, my vision is overly broad - to use my skills as a mature, experienced clinician in a way that has similar meaning, impact, and flexibility, but with much higher income. My ideal life would look the same, but with more freedom. I would travel more, surf more, spend more time with my husband and kids, socialise more, and cook occasionally instead of working every spare moment. WHY My husband is a teacher and not ambitious. We spent our early years together having incredible experiences and travelling. Now we have two children and no retirement plan or savings. We live modestly. Weโre proud to be debt-free and own a small apartment near the beach in Cape Town. Our children attend private school, which is important to us, but it adds pressure. We canโt afford to travel nearly as much as weโd like, and the idea of working indefinitely is not sustainable.