How to Help Your Partner Achieve their Career Goals

Ask most couples and they’ll say the best relationships are nurturing, and supportive. When you decide to share your life with someone, whether a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse, you naturally become invested in their goals, and ambitions. We want to see the people we love succeed. Sometimes, this could mean providing your partner with additional help and guidance when they’re taking important steps in their life. 

If your loved one wants to start a new career, improve their earning potential, or pursue a new professional path, you may be the first person they come to for support. The more reassurance and help you can give your partner as they work on their professional goals, the more aligned and connected you’ll become. So, where do you get started?

Communicate Effectively

Communication is at the heart of any solid relationship. We can’t help our loved ones if we don’t know how to communicate with them. Start by letting your partner know they can come to you to discuss anything connected to their career, from concerns about clients, to ambitions and goals. If your partner wants to accomplish something specific with their career, help them to set the right targets for success. 

Ask them about their motivation, exactly what they want to achieve, and any challenges they think they might face along the way. Work together on coming up with a plan and encourage your partner to keep you in the loop with their progress. Opening the door to consistent communication from day one will help your loved one feel like they have someone in their corner when they’re tackling career challenges. It should also ensure you don’t end up arguing over issues like financing and schedules, because you’ll be able to discuss these things in advance.

Invest in their Education

​For the most part, pursuing a specific career or professional goal will require at least some investment in education. The most attractive, highest paying jobs typically require candidates to hold specific degrees or qualifications related to the industry or role in question. Depending on your relationship with your other half, you might be able to offer direct financial support, sharing some of your savings so they can minimize the amount of money they need to borrow to go back to college and earn their accreditation. 

However, if you don’t have a lot of money to share, there are still ways you can be helpful. If you have a better credit score than your partner, you could consider cosigning a student loan with Earnest, to help your loved one get the best possible deal on the money they borrow. This could even help you to reduce the amount you need to pay back together in the long-term.

Help Them Manage their Schedule

​If your partner has decided to pursue an entirely new career, which requires them to get a new education, or spend more time out of the house, working overtime or networking with peers, then you might have to take on some other tasks around the house. Most partners who live together or share a decent portion of their lives will share the load for household tasks.

However, you may need to be prepared to do a little more than your standard share if your partner is dealing with a particularly hectic schedule. While you shouldn’t push yourself to the point of burning out on your partner’s behalf, it might be worth looking for areas where you can offer a helping hand. Taking over some daily duties like taking out the trash and washing clothes on your partner’s behalf can give them more time to focus on pursuing their goals.

​Be Their Personal Cheerleader

Some career goals take years to accomplish, and many come with numerous challenges to overcome, not to mention various sources of stress. There will be times when your partner might feel overwhelmed, emotional, or incapable of reaching their targets. The best thing you can do during these moments is show your partner how much you believe in them. 

Remind them of how far they’ve come and support them with love and understanding. Encourage them to avoid focusing on their failures, and instead celebrate their accomplishments. Celebrating small and big successes together is a great way to keep your partner motivated and discover new bonding opportunities for you as a couple. Look for ways to celebrate everything, from your spouse getting a raise or promotion, to them dealing with a difficult client or boss at work.

Help Your Partner Thrive in their Career

​Achieving career goals can be a time consuming and stressful process. However, it helps to have someone on our side who can be there with us through thick and thin. Acting as a crucial source of support for your spouse or other half during their career transition is a wonderful way to show them how much you care.