I’m at a bit of a crossroads and feeling pretty overwhelmed.

I’m starting my MBA this fall in the U.S., and my post-MBA goal has been MBB consulting. I’ve been working toward that path for a while.

But recently things have gotten complicated. My family in Vietnam runs a real estate development business. My sister is currently managing everything, and there’s a new building project that’s still in progress. There’s a real chance the project might not be successfully built out, and part of me feels like I should go back and help.

At the same time, my parents are getting older. When I visited Vietnam last month, my dad was hospitalized. It made me realize how far away I’ve been and how quickly things can change.

So now I’m torn between two very different paths:

• staying in the U.S. and pursuing MBB after my MBA
• going back to Vietnam to help with the family business

Emotionally it’s been hard because the decision feels very high stakes. I love my life in the US. One path is the career I’ve been working toward, the other is family responsibility and something that might not even succeed.

I also suddenly realized I don’t really have anyone I can talk to about this openly, which makes it feel even heavier.