u/Clean_Sprinkles_8838

السلام عليكم.

I've been trying to find English books in Tripoli, but it's been surprisingly difficult.

I'm mainly looking for:

• Novels
• Self-improvement/personal development books

I specifically want them in English because I've had too many disappointing experiences with Arabic translations. I find that a lot of the meaning, writing style, and tone get lost, so I prefer reading the English editions.

Most bookstores I've visited either don't have the books I'm looking for or only carry the Arabic versions.

And before anyone suggests PDFs 😅... I've been reading on screens for so long that my eyes need a break. I'd much rather have a physical copy.

I've even considered printing PDFs at one of the bulk printing shops (نسمع بيهم في شارع عمر المختار في المدينة) if I can't find the actual books.

If you know any good bookstores or libraries—whether in Tripoli or anywhere else in Libya that offers delivery—I'd really appreciate your recommendations.

Thanks in advance! 📚

السلام عليكم .

First off, it's nice seeing a Libyan community that's actually willing to have discussions instead of the usual social media drama.

I wanted to ask something that's been on my mind recently.

What are the highest-paying careers in Libya today?

For some context, I'm 19 years old. I studied Electrical Engineering at PTQI, and I've been working in the oil field for around a year now.

People always say oil industry is where the money is, but honestly... that's not really been my experience.

My base salary is 1,336 LYD before deductions, and depending on how many days I spend in the field, I usually end up earning 500–1,000 LYD in allowances.

Even some of the older guys who've been here for 10–20 years seem to make somewhere around 4,000–6,000 LYD. That's definitely better, but it's still not the kind of money people outside the industry imagine.

(And before anyone says I'm making this up, I can literally show my salary emails lol.)

I already know some people are gonna say "go private sector."

Yeah... I'm already trying to do that.

The reason I'm asking is that I'm trying to figure out what skills are actually worth investing my time into while I'm still young.

A bit about me:

• I'm pretty good with computers.
• I recently started learning programming.
• I speak English fluently.

And before someone says, "everyone speaks English nowadays," I know it's more of a requirement than an advantage.

The difference is that I actually use it at work. I communicate with foreign engineers, studied at PTQI partly in English, and most of the technical documentation I read is in English. That's a bit different from just being able to watch YouTube or scroll through TikToks 😂.

So I'm curious...

If you were 19 again in Libya, what career or skill would you focus on if your goal was simply to maximize income?

I'm open to pretty much anything:

• Jobs in Libya
• Remote work
• Business ideas
• Skills that are actually making people money

I'm just trying to make smart decisions early instead of waking up at 35 wondering where the time went.

Thanks in advance. 🙏

TL;DR: 19 years old, working in Libya's oil sector after studying EE at PTQI. The pay isn't nearly as high as people make it out to be, so I'm trying to figure out where the actual money is in Libya. Looking for career advice, industries, remote work, businesses, or skills that are genuinely worth pursuing.