I was previously working in tech and have been on a break for six months now. I took these six months to upskill, and my plan was discussed with my husband(and fam too), who is willing to support me financially for as long as I need. He doesn’t ask me about job searching, but my mother-in-law has an issue with me “relaxing” at home. I’ve been studying and building projects for the last six months. Every day, she asks me when I’m going to apply for jobs, even though I’ve already told her I plan to start by the end of June. Today, she asked again, and I repeated that I’ll start applying by July 1st since I still have to finish my projects. This woman told me I need to start applying soon and said, “Have you not been relaxing at home for the past six months?”
I cannot live with this woman. Every day, I have to listen to her lectures about herself, her other son, and her future daughter-in-law (who comes from a well-off family). I’ve been struggling mentally for quite a while. I went to Germany and came back (because I was rejected from all the jobs I applied for). I used to work in an old tech stack which didn’t have much job opportunities. I thought I would take these six months to upskill before applying for jobs again. I know the market is tough, and I’m on a career break now, which is what triggers my existential crisis. But could she, for just one day, give me peace? Nope.
Every day, she makes some kind of backhanded comment. I’m tired, and I’m trying not to hurt myself. Believe me, there is no one more disappointed in me than I am in myself. My MIL keeps saying she’s been upskilling for a long time. I wonder what a preschool teacher who barely earns 10k a month could be upskilling on? My husband keeps her on an information diet because of her constant lectures, so she’s not too fond of him, I suppose. She has another son (my BIL) who got a job abroad through my father-in-law’s connections, and she keeps saying what a hardworking man he is. She talks about everyone’s achievements as if I am the only one who isn’t worthy of anything.