For many working dads, becoming a father changes what matters long before their career catches up. Work that once felt meaningful or ambitious can start competing with the kind of parent, partner, and person they want to become.

Dave Albrechta spent nearly a decade as a litigator, building the law practice he and his wife had envisioned after law school. The constant pressure of litigation, interrupted vacations, and the inability to fully leave work behind became harder to ignore after becoming a dad. Eventually, he realized his career was no longer aligned with the life or values he wanted to model for his kids.

Dave shares how to:

• Recognize when your career no longer fits the life you want to build
• Navigate a career transition without abandoning the skills and experience you already have
• Identify which parts of your work still feel meaningful and which need to change
• Create space to understand what you actually want before making a major move
• Align the values you model through parenting with the way you spend your working life
• Make career and family decisions alongside your partner
• Show your kids that changing direction can be a sign of intention rather than failure

Dave offers a personal perspective on career transitions for fathers, meaningful work, work life balance, dad identity, and the challenge of creating greater alignment between what you value and how you actually spend your days.

His story also makes an important distinction for many dads: changing your career doesn't necessarily mean starting over. Dave ultimately reshaped his legal career around mediation and healing rather than throwing away everything he had spent years learning.

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