Real Life
‘I’M NOT WILLING
TO RISK A CAREER
THAT I’VE SPENT
YEARS BUILDING’
Prescilla Annoni, 26, lives in
East Yorkshire.
I’ve got a degree in Law from the
University of Hull and am hoping to go
on and complete a Masters degree in
Social Work so I can pursue my dream
of becoming a social worker.
I know it won’t be an easy road to get
there, so I have made the decision early
on not to have kids. People think I’ll
change my mind, but I’m clear on it.Future focused
I want to put in a lot of time and
commitment to be the best at my job,
and I know that if I plan on having kids
it will side-track me. As soon as I made
the decision to be child free, I felt a
weight had been lifted, as
I could just focus on my
career. Unlike lots of
women, I won’t have to
worry about maternity
leave or arranging child
care. Knowing that I have
a clear path ahead makes
mefeelfocused. While social work is a
high-pressure, time-consuming career,
it can also be massively rewarding.
I want to be the best at what I do,
without any distractions. If I had a
child, I wouldn’t last in the industry.
The moment you go on maternity
leave, there will be someone younger,
someone able to commit the time, to
take your place. I’m not willing to risk
a career that I’ve spent years building.
My ex-boyfriend always wanted kids
but I’ve never wanted a family.No doubts
I refuse to give up the things I want
for someone else. I simply don’t want
children, I want a career.
My family don’t get a say. My mum
understands that it’s my life but
I know she’s disappointed. I think she
was hoping for grandchildren. People
judge you for not wanting kids, but
I try to ignore it. I’m not worried
about getting older. I have a plan for
my future so won’t need to rely on
children to look after me.‘M Y FA MILY
DON’T GET
A SAY’
Have^
your say
Is having a family the key
to happiness? Let us know
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For details, see p3.