u/Ok-Bumblebee-1906

For those who moved abroad from Pakistan, what actually pushed you to leave, and how did you make it happen? Especially interested in hearing from people who spent years overseas, went back to Pakistan, and then managed to move out again.

I’m torn between eventually moving back, staying in the Middle East and maybe buying property here, or trying for another country altogether.

Would love to hear real experiences and a little motivation from people who’ve been through this.

I’ve been working under my manager for several months, and I’m struggling to tell whether she’s coaching me or whether I’m just not a good fit for her management style.
She has excluded me from some meetings in the past, often gives feedback indirectly through a colleague instead of telling me herself, and recently told that colleague that I’m “too chirpy” and “too bouncy” and need to mellow down. She has also told me directly that I shouldn’t agree with everything she says and that I need to know my work better instead of letting others answer for me.

On the other hand, she still gives me work, asks me for updates, and corrects me when she thinks I need to improve.

Looking back, I’ve realised I have habits like speaking too fast, nervous laughter, overexplaining, and seeking reassurance from colleagues when I’m anxious. I’m actively working on changing those.

From an outsider’s perspective, does this sound like a manager trying to develop an employee who needs coaching, or does it sound like someone who has already decided the employee isn’t a good fit?

My dad is visiting tomorrow and will be staying with me for a couple of months. He enjoys playing carrom and chess, and I’d love to find a place or group where he can meet others who play regularly.

Most of his friends live in Sharjah or Dubai, so he’ll probably only be able to see them on weekends. I’m worried he may get bored at home during the week.
Does anyone know of any carrom clubs, chess groups, community centres, or casual meetups in Abu Dhabi that he could join?

Is it worth pursuing certifications like CCEP or ACAMS, or do you think AI will automate a lot of these roles? Also, how’s the job market in your country—are companies actively hiring compliance professionals?

My company has been going through a period of uncertainty. Early on, my manager took me and another colleague aside and reassured us that we wouldn’t lose our jobs and that she’d keep us informed if anything changed.
Even after that conversation, I couldn’t stop worrying. Instead of sitting quietly, I sought reassurance from another senior colleague on the team and kept asking what typically happens in situations like this and whether I should be worried. I never spoke negatively about my manager, I was just anxious about my job. I suspect that conversation eventually made its way back to my manager because she later mentioned that I had confided in him, and after that our conversations became more along the lines of, “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Looking back, I’m wondering if I unintentionally came across as not trusting my manager. If you were my manager, would you see this as a breach of trust, or just an anxious employee looking for reassurance? What would you expect an employee to do in this situation?

I’m a 32F, raised in the Gulf. My background is a mix of sales, project management/business analysis in banking, and the last 7 months in compliance in the tech sector (KYC, EDD, sanctions, compliance operations), currently in tech.
Lately, I feel like my experience is too broad and I don’t have a clear niche anymore.

For those who managed to move abroad (Europe, UK, Australia, Canada, etc.) in compliance, governance, risk, or similar fields:
How did you make the move?
Did staying in the Gulf eventually pay off, or do you feel you lost valuable years waiting?
If you were in my position today, would you continue building your career in the Gulf or consider returning to Pakistan and trying a different path?

Would love to hear some success stories or honest advice.

I started my career in telesales and spent about 5 years there. After that, I transitioned into project management/business analysis within a bank, where I worked on PMO, UAT, client onboarding, governance, and digital transformation initiatives for around 2.5 years.
I then moved into KYC/AML for another global bank, where I spent another 2.5 years working on KYC, EDD, sanctions screening, and due diligence. About 7 months ago, I transitioned into a technology company as a Compliance Specialist, where I now work on sanctions screening, export control compliance, KYC, Power BI dashboards, MIS reporting, audit readiness, process improvement, Agile/Jira, and compliance operations.
Overall, I have around 10 years of professional experience, but my career has evolved quite a bit over time.
If you were a recruiter or hiring manager, how would you view this career progression? Does it look like a strong profile, or does it seem too broad? If I had to start applying today, how competitive would I be in the current UAE/GCC market, and what kind of roles would you see me as a good fit for?
I’m looking for honest, constructive feedback.

I started my career in telesales and spent about 5 years there. After that, I transitioned into project management/business analysis within a bank, where I worked on PMO, UAT, client onboarding, governance, and digital transformation initiatives for around 2.5 years.
I then moved into KYC/AML for another global bank, where I spent another 2.5 years working on KYC, EDD, sanctions screening, and due diligence. About 7 months ago, I transitioned into a technology company as a Compliance Specialist, where I now work on sanctions screening, export control compliance, KYC, Power BI dashboards, MIS reporting, audit readiness, process improvement, Agile/Jira, and compliance operations.
Overall, I have around 10 years of professional experience, but my career has evolved quite a bit over time.
If you were a recruiter or hiring manager, how would you view this career progression? Does it look like a strong profile, or does it seem too broad? If I had to start applying today, how competitive would I be in the current UAE/GCC market, and what kind of roles would you see me as a good fit for?
I’m looking for honest, constructive feedback.

I started my career in telesales and spent about 5 years there. After that, I transitioned into project management/business analysis within a bank, where I worked on PMO, UAT, client onboarding, governance, and digital transformation initiatives for around 2.5 years.
I then moved into KYC/AML for another global bank, where I spent another 2.5 years working on KYC, EDD, sanctions screening, and due diligence. About 7 months ago, I transitioned into a technology company as a Compliance Specialist, where I now work on sanctions screening, export control compliance, KYC, Power BI dashboards, MIS reporting, audit readiness, process improvement, Agile/Jira, and compliance operations.
Overall, I have around 10 years of professional experience, but my career has evolved quite a bit over time.
If you were a recruiter or hiring manager, how would you view this career progression? Does it look like a strong profile, or does it seem too broad? If I had to start applying today, how competitive would I be in the current UAE/GCC market, and what kind of roles would you see me as a good fit for?

I’m looking for honest, constructive feedback.

I’m based in Western Europe, and my team is currently going through a major organizational restructure. There are three of us doing the same role. Two of my teammates are actively being considered for positions in other departments, while I haven’t been told anything about my own future.
What’s confusing me is my manager’s behavior.
Until recently, we had a good working relationship. I always tried to be dependable—I volunteered when needed, came in on a public holiday to help finish urgent work, stayed late when required, and generally did whatever was asked of me.
Over the past few weeks, though, she’s become noticeably distant. She rarely speaks to me unless it’s work-related, excludes me from discussions I’m expecting to be part of, and has criticized me over relatively small things in front of other colleagues. For example, she’ll point out the timing of an email or question why I sent something, even when I was following someone else’s instructions. When I try to approach her with work questions, I often get brushed off with, “I don’t have time right now.”
At the same time, she’s spending a lot of time talking to the other two employees because of their possible moves. One thing that makes this even more confusing is that she’s assigned me work that seems to relate to the future state of the team, while excluding me from conversations about it.
There is also some history here. The other two employees have previously complained about my manager to senior leadership and accused her of having favorites. Because of that, I’ve wondered whether she’s now intentionally keeping her distance from me to avoid the appearance of favoritism. But I honestly don’t know if I’m reading too much into it.
I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t argue. If I’m criticized, I usually stay quiet instead of explaining my side because I don’t like confrontation. A colleague recently told me that I need to start calmly speaking up when the facts are on my side instead of silently accepting criticism.
So I’m genuinely looking for outside perspectives.
Does this sound like a manager who’s simply under pressure during a restructuring, or does it sound like she’s treating me differently? And if you were in my position, would you address it directly or just continue being professional and wait for things to settle?

I’m based in Western Europe, and my team is currently going through a major organizational restructure. There are three of us doing the same role. Two of my teammates are actively being considered for positions in other departments, while I haven’t been told anything about my own future.
What’s confusing me is my manager’s behavior.
Until recently, we had a good working relationship. I always tried to be dependable, I volunteered when needed, came in on a public holiday to help finish urgent work, stayed late when required, and generally did whatever was asked of me.
Over the past few weeks, though, she’s become noticeably distant. She rarely speaks to me unless it’s work-related, excludes me from discussions I’m expecting to be part of, and has criticized me over relatively small things in front of other colleagues. For example, she’ll point out the timing of an email or question why I sent something, even when I was following someone else’s instructions. When I try to approach her with work questions, I often get brushed off with, “I don’t have time right now.”
At the same time, she’s spending a lot of time talking to the other two employees because of their possible moves. One thing that makes this even more confusing is that she’s assigned me work that seems to relate to the future state of the team, while excluding me from conversations about it.
There is also some history here. The other two employees have previously complained about my manager to senior leadership and accused her of having favorites. Because of that, I’ve wondered whether she’s now intentionally keeping her distance from me to avoid the appearance of favoritism. But I honestly don’t know if I’m reading too much into it.
I’m also the kind of person who doesn’t argue. If I’m criticized, I usually stay quiet instead of explaining my side because I don’t like confrontation. A colleague recently told me that I need to start calmly speaking up when the facts are on my side instead of silently accepting criticism.
So I’m genuinely looking for outside perspectives.
Does this sound like a manager who’s simply under pressure during a restructuring, or does it sound like she’s treating me differently? And if you were in my position, would you address it directly or just continue being professional and wait for things to settle?

Have any of you moved back to Pakistan, especially Karachi? If so, what led to that decision, and how has your experience been?

I’ve lived in the Gulf my entire life. I spent 10 years in banking and recently moved into the tech compliance field. I’m curious about the career opportunities in Pakistan and whether someone with a similar background could build a rewarding career there.

I often hear that Pakistan is our “ultimate destination” because we hold Pakistani passports, but I’d love to hear different perspectives from people who have actually made the move or decided not to.

I’m a 32F - just looking to learn from others’ experiences and understand the realities, both personal and professional.

I could really use some honest career advice.
I started my career in telesales, moved into tech-related roles within banking, then transitioned into a KYC/Compliance Analyst role at another bank. Recently, I joined a large tech group in the UAE as a Compliance professional.
Now, the company is going through restructuring, and there’s a possibility my role may be impacted or made redundant. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but I’m trying to think ahead realistically.
My concern is this:
If things don’t work out, should I consider going back to sales (telesales/relationship roles) as a short-term fallback, even though I’ve moved into compliance?
Would that significantly hurt my long-term career trajectory if I want to stay in compliance/risk?
Given that I’m a Pakistani national, I’m also worried about how easy/difficult it might be to secure another role in the UAE in the current environment.
In a worst-case scenario, should I even consider moving back to Pakistan and rebuilding from there?
I’ve spent most of my life in the UAE, so that decision feels quite heavy.
I’m trying to balance:
short-term survival
vs
long-term career direction
Would really appreciate advice from people who’ve been through restructuring, career switches, or worked in compliance/risk.
Thanks in advance.