@merekas Raises hand
We got married right after I graduated college (literally planned the wedding for 3 weeks after). It was right at the time of the recession, and I struggled to find work, despite having 2 degrees. With my husband being 2 years ahead of and already having a steady job, we decided to just have the kids then so they when I went back to work I wouldn't have to worry about maternity leave. Stupid us: we didn't consider the cost of childcare vs the low income of a starting position a few years down the line. So I was stuck being a SAHM until the kids started school. 11 years. At one point, I tried getting a job, but the job was awful, unpredictable, and we barely broke even with the cost of daycare for (at the time) 2 kids.
I decided to quit and wait until all the kids were in school full time. That time came and it has taken me 2 years to get a job (nobody wants to hire someone who's been out of work and school for over a decade). It's not the field I wanted: it's at the school, dealing with middle schoolers. The hours and vacations are incredibly convenient, but the job is not fun. I feel like I wasted 6 years of my life in college, since I'm not using either of my degrees. The job also comes with fantastic health insurance coverage at a rather cheap price, so when factoring in how much we're saving compared to what we paid for health insurance through my husband's work, I'm making a ton. But that only makes me feel more stuck. If I leave, we're going to lose that.
I don't want to be in the job for the rest of my career (30+ years!). I want a M-F, 8-5 job where I can do what I've always wanted to do (what I went to school for), where I can work and advance in my career, and where I don't have to deal with petty arguments or worry about fights breaking out at any second of the day. Is that what everybody dreams? Maybe. But now I feel like I'll never get that.