TOM Briggs quit a well-paid job to follow his dream of becoming a full-time blogger.

He writes the award-winning blog Diary of the Dad.

Now Tom, from Polegate, is a finalist in the Working Dad of the Year category of Pitman Training’s SuperAchievers awards.

This award is for fathers who epitomise the dedication required to juggle a busy home and family life, alongside achieving personal career ambitions.

Tom was nominated by his wife Kate and together they have three young children.

He started his blog as a new hobby back in 2010 but it has since grown into something much bigger.

In 2015, Tom made the decision to become a full-time blogger to spend more time with his family.

His wife was pregnant and Tom’s career at the time wasn’t allowing for a great work/life balance.

Tom was the family’s only earner at the time so there was a huge risk to walking away from a secure, well-paid job.

But he wasn’t finding the enjoyment in the role and knew that he wanted more precious time with his growing family.

Tom has turned a hobby into something that provides for a family of five and, most importantly, that gives them more time together.

He has had numerous media appearances on programmes such as Good Morning Britain and the Victoria Derbyshire show, as well as radio, newspaper and magazine interviews where he can offer a dad’s point of view.

He also works with various brands as a spokesperson and holds regular contributor slots on various websites.

Most importantly, Tom is able to play a full part in family life.

Working from home, with no commute, he structures his work to standard office hours.

Around that, Tom is able to do school runs, attend class assemblies, school plays and all the extra-curricular activities that family life presents.

Wife Kate said: “Tom has worked so hard to provide for us and has gone from strength to strength while being around more too.

“He’s found a way of having the best of both worlds and we’re really happy with how things have worked out.

“I think Tom is a great success simply because he loves what he does for a living both in terms of his job itself and the work-life balance that it gives him.”

Voting online via Pitman’s website is now open for all finalists (http://superachievers.pitman-training.com/index.php)

Public vote closes Friday and the winners will then be announced on March 29.

Winners will receive an engraved award, £500 and a voucher for a distance learning course of their choice.