Need more support.

QA

I want to become a buyer for a major company in another town, but my family isn't supportive. They want me to stay so they can be close to my daughter. I'm torn between making the move to fulfill my aspirations and leaving the area and destroying their wishes. What should I do?

--T. Carter, Norfolk, Virginia

It's unfortunate that you don't have your family's support while making this difficult decision. As with all other major life decisions, you'll need to weigh the pros and cons, then determine the short- and long-term consequences of each.

Generations of women have struggled with having to choose between work and family. True, you may not be able to do everything on both sides of the equation (not without killing yourself, anyway), but there are ways to secure a satisfying career and maintain a peaceful family life.

Check out "The Mother of All Balancing Acts" in our August 1999 issue and read Winning Roles for Career-Minded Women by Binnie Shusman Kafrissen and Fran Shusman (Davies-Black Publishing, $17.95). These will give you useful information and additional resources that can help you decide the best thing for you--and your daughter. Deciding what to do won't be easy, but at least you don't have to do it alone.

Mail your self-empowerment questions to In The Know, BLACK ENTERPRISE, 130 Fifth Ave., Now York, NY 10011, or send an e-mail to clarker@black enterprise.com.