“Life Maps” are valuable in helping you to appreciate that things change. It helps you plan for it, acclimatize for it, deal with it in much better ways (like financial planning). If you have to plan for that period, you should actually organize for say that ‘full-nest’ period -when your expenses are very high. At that time, one needs stability, less growth, stable salaries and environments that actually give space.

Seeing composite pictures of life maps helps to see how things shift.

For example – as a software engineer usually by the age of 33-34 they are starting to look at children’s schooling. They need to be aware that usually project management etc. keeps pushing you out (travel), so even if this career helps you, its becoming at odds with who you are at that stage. In short, the students need to understand that sometimes the demands of a career are at odds with your life path.

Another example is what doctors face – they are not ready to practice till the age of 28/30. Most may be running late for marriage. Even if some get married, often both are doctors and are hanging about still dependent. If their parents are growing old, suddenly the income drop they face due to retirement etc. may become a huge challenge.

Engineers for example by the age of 24 are earning. If their parents are about 50/52 at that stage then they have another 5-6 years of working life that gives them the space to make choices.