A Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Qatar Epilogue
This is an update post that includes some commentary on my experiences with job hunting as an engineering graduate in Qatar.
I will be starting my MSc in Computing and IT Management program at Cardiff University. The journey up to this point was not an easy one.
After completing my Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering in Qatar, I went on the hunt for a full-time job in the country, as was the case for any fresh graduate who wanted to maintain residency in the country post-study. After spending the better part of the student visa extension year doing internships, the last company I was working with went through a round of layoffs that affected many team members, and I was one of the unfortunate ones. I had to pack my bags immediately and leave Qatar for good due to impending residency expiration after nearly 10 years in the country.
But I was one of the lucky ones; I have taken this scenario into account and have been sending out university applications and some resumes months before it all unfolded - just in case I didn't manage to extend my residency in Qatar by landing a full-time job. I ended up getting accepted into a couple of universities worldwide, and here I am now, thanks in part to the aid of my parents. And I shall strive to establish this place as my forever home should the circumstances allow it. My leave from Qatar marked the end of an era, and to celebrate it, I've spent a good amount of time producing this video.
For clarification - "International student/graduate" refers to those students who do not have a permanent right to live in the country, i.e. Not domiciled in the country.
One more thing; the following narrative isn't strictly a Qatar-only issue, I have seen this issue spread across the GCC region to varying degrees. I am merely speaking from my experience as a long-time Qatar resident.
Some observations I have made:
Many international students in Qatar end up undertaking further studies abroad due to strict residency laws in Qatar, with hopes of settling overseas on a more permanent basis. Some stick around for further studies to extend their student visa, but the endgame for the grand majority of international graduates converges in the same direction; outwards. Outside Qatar.
Several startups in Qatar (and abroad) outsource a ton of their work abroad - a common method of cost-cutting. This is especially prevalent when it comes to the technical stuff - my field of work, that is -, and yet some companies claim that their product is completely homemade in their own branding (whereas it should've been "self/home-funded" instead).
Due to the outsourcing of many tasks, fresh graduates (international fresh graduates, in particular) looking for full-time opportunities with little to no experience would have a hard time finding suitable posts, as they would likely cost the company more than outsourcing to a much more experienced person abroad. Hiring such people would incur sponsorship-related fees such as accommodation and/or return flight tickets. And not many entities out there are willing to bear such costs.
As such, governments across the region should take steps towards incentivizing local companies to hire local fresh graduates (with equal opportunities for every graduate, both international and local alumni), be it through tax breaks, or subsidizing the sponsorship overhead for local entities. I'd humorously say "if the education standards were world-class, you wouldn't mind putting your money where your mouth is, right?"
I have personally encountered a lot of people just like me, going through the very same experiences. And for some reason, I don't see many people talking about this. So I took it upon myself to speak up about it and get a discussion started. Is this a thing in other countries outside the GCC as well?
What's the lesson from all of this?
Get ahead of the curve and get experience whilst you can. DO NOT wait for the "mandatory internship module" of your degree program to come in order to start building on your experience, which is unfortunately what I did. START NOW! This would only up your chances to get hired anywhere, including Qatar.
Qatar, or any GCC country for that matter, is rarely ever a "forever home", the laws just make it extremely difficult to settle on a permanent basis. Want to settle somewhere through work? Look elsewhere. Even if you were born and raised there, you are an outsider and you come from whatever your passport country is.
This is probably common advice in many fields, but do survey the market around you and see the skills that they demand, and tailor your learning to fill in these roles. Become the perfect candidate for those listings. Degrees aren't as coveted or useful as they once were in fields such as tech. (Coming from someone who is pursuing a postgraduate degree in tech, how ironic!) It’s a lot more about the value you bring to the table.
tl;dr - starting my masters in tech at Cardiff University after my residency expired in Qatar. The job market dynamic in Qatar is quite interesting from the lens of an international fresh graduate and not a whole lot of people talk about it.