8 & 18 for the aging population asks!
8. do you have kids? do you want them?
I don't have kids, but the first kid of that generation was born in September (my niece) so it's feeling more real recently than it ever has. I definitely want kids. I didn't think I did most of my adolescence, and then I realized I was trans and that I could be a dad instead of a mom, and everything clicked. Pregnancy was one of my biggest fears (thank you hysto) so I very quickly knew if I were to ever have kids, they'd be adopted. I feel like more people my age, queer people especially, are choosing to be childfree and I think that's great. I really think you should only have kids if you actively want to be a parent and I really do, so a few years ago I started only dating people who wanted kids. My current partner and I both want to be dads and we talk very openly about wanting to have children when we're both in our mid to late 30s.
18. have you ever changed fields in your career or education?
I am currently going back to school to do this. I've worked as a graphic designer for the better part of ten years, and the state of the industry does not make me happy. I have been watching the limited pool of interesting jobs gets fewer and fewer, freelancing feels unsustainable, and now with every company chomping at the bit to save money through using genAI, my work is just not fulfilling and doesn't feel sustainable. It's funny you asked both of these because thinking about the financial feasibility of raising a child with the current state of my career got me to seriously consider why I am still in this field. I do not make enough money, even with a partner, to raise a family, and I don't think I will. A few years ago I fell in love with ASL. I didn't learn it intending to make a career, I've just always wanted to know how to sign, but the more I learned the more passionate I became about it. I'm currently in a two-year interpreter training program to be a certified ASL interpreter and I'm hoping to switch to interpreting full time in about five years.