u/Ok_Dragonfruit269

I'm 23 and I've been working in the UAE for almost 8 months now as a Junior Software Developer / .NET Developer.

I work for a globally recognized company, but it's not an IT company. I'm working on their internal/in-house software products, so I'm not doing client projects.

My current salary is AED 4,000/month, and that's basically it — no accommodation allowance, food allowance, etc. I'm currently managing my expenses with that.

I'm trying to figure out what I should actually focus on over the next few years.

I don't necessarily want to become extremely rich. My biggest goal is to have a good, peaceful family life and be financially stable. Obviously, I'd like to increase my salary and have a better standard of living, but I don't want to spend my whole life chasing money either.

One thing I'm confused about is whether I should build my career in the UAE or eventually move to Europe.

I could stay here for a few years, gain experience, improve my skills, switch to better-paying companies and see where that takes me. Or I could start preparing for migration to Europe while I'm still young.

And then there's the question of marriage. Is it better to migrate before marriage and establish myself there first, or is it perfectly fine to get married and then move with my family later?

I'm also considering doing a master's degree (probably an online MCA) while working, mainly to improve my qualifications.

If you were 23, with around 8 months of UAE work experience and a salary of AED 4,000, what would you focus on right now?

Would you stay in the UAE and try to grow here, or start preparing for Europe?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who have actually lived/worked in the UAE and then moved to Europe, or people who decided to stay in the UAE long-term.

I'm not looking for a "Europe is better" or "UAE is better" answer. I just want to understand what path might make the most sense for someone whose main goal is a stable career and a peaceful family life.