I have had a mixed professional background, spending several years in the corporate world. I have worked in various fields including logistics, procurement, the legal sector, and finance. As an entrepreneur, I successfully scaled up a digital marketing agency and sold it for a substantial profit within a year. This occurred in 2021 when the market was experiencing high liquidity, particularly in Dubai, which was primarily a service-oriented market at that time. However, I found all of that work to be unfulfilling and lacking excitement.
During my teenage years, my uncle once approached me out of the blue and whispered, “Look into financial engineering.” At that time, I had expressed my intention to pursue a career in law, but my uncle felt compelled to mention financial engineering to me. I disregarded his comment as I was a careless and misguided teenager.
After selling the eCommerce business in 2021, I found myself drawn back to the financial field, but this time as a business owner. I developed a deep appreciation for the abstract nature of the work, finding excitement in its inherent complexity. I encountered significant losses along the way but persevered through extensive study, ultimately experiencing a eureka moment, and it was orgasmic.
I frequently find myself contemplating the potential financial success I could have achieved if I had possessed the knowledge and understanding that I have now, during earlier stages of my life.
I would be the very proud owner of a massive amount of money. Undoubtedly “technically” retired at 28.
But that’s not how life works. We can’t dwell on past mistakes. The truth of the matter is that I experienced the most horrific financial loss of my life shortly after my induction into the anarchic world of flexible finance. I was building complex financial applications but failed to acknowledge the importance of cybersecurity. The competition was intense, unlike the trifling competition I had encountered in marketing, logistics, or eCommerce. You’re dealing with people’s money, and they’re highly sensitive to a downgrade in performance or really anything that’ll result in them losing money. I once received a threatening picture of a gun from a Russian investor; it was intense, but very fun (and comical).
Will I hit my peak NW again? Undoubtedly.
Will I substantially exceed my peak NW? Yes, seems like an eventuality.
Will I ever go back to the corporate world? Highly unlikely.
Will I ever again orient my professional life towards something “safe and comfortable”? No, I like the mess, uncertainty, shakiness, and hormonal fluctuations.
There is always risk and grit is an important part of the formula to success. There is extreme risk and that is exactly how I like it.
Am I an adrenaline junkie? Maybe.
I’m very self-aware. I know what my capabilities and faults are. I just have to position myself, and finding the right position is an arduous process.