Night shift job and a newborn baby vs relocating to Mumbai: Ankur Warikoo advices new father who is confused between two tough jobs

What would you choose: better health and growth, or family support and financial comfort? A new father recently found himself stuck in that exact dilemma. With a night-shift job draining his energy and a newborn at home, he was offered a new role that promised growth but demanded relocation to Mumbai. Unsure of what to do, he reached out to Ankur Warikoo. The entrepreneur’s response has now sparked conversation online.

Ankur Warikoo shared that he had received an email from a professional who was struggling to choose between staying in his current role or accepting a new opportunity. The man explained that while his present job had given him solid exposure, the night shifts were taking a toll on his health. With a newborn child and increasing family responsibilities, he wanted to prioritise his physical and mental well-being without compromising long-term financial stability.

New job offer

A new offer had come his way. The positive side was clear: no more night shifts and the chance to step into an uncomfortable but potentially transformative growth zone. The downsides were equally significant. The role required relocating to Mumbai, which meant moving away from parents and losing immediate family support. His wife was also working on her thesis, and he was concerned that a relocation might disrupt her academic commitments. On top of that, Mumbai’s higher cost of living would reduce their short-term savings.

Ankur Warikoo's advice

Warikoo described this as a classic dilemma between two imperfect options. But instead of focusing on the surface trade-offs, he approached the situation differently. He asked the man a simple question: did he actively apply for this new role, or did it just come to him? The man clarified that he had been looking for a change, and the opportunity had come his way during that process.

For Warikoo, that detail mattered. It suggested that the confusion might not be about choosing between two jobs, but about settling too quickly. In his view, the new offer was better in some ways but still not ideal. The relocation, financial pressure, and personal trade-offs were creating fresh conflicts.


Warikoo’s perspective was that if someone can find one opportunity that moves them closer to what they want, they are capable of finding an even better one. Instead of forcing a decision between two imperfect paths, he suggested chasing the role that aligns with health, growth, financial goals, and personal priorities without creating such intense trade-offs.

His advice reframed the dilemma entirely. Rather than asking which of the two current options is less painful, the real question became whether there is a third option that fits better.