I’m 30 years old, married, Egyptian, and currently living and working in Saudi Arabia. I have a valid Iqama and Saudi driving licence.
I have a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree, but my career has become very mixed. I’ve worked across sales, B2B, administrative work, paperwork, and business-related roles, while also having the medical/scientific foundation from pharmacy.
I feel like a “jack of all trades, master of none.”
I’m very tech-savvy, learn quickly, and I’m good at researching difficult problems and finding answers. If I don’t know how to do something, I don’t shy away from asking, researching, and teaching myself. I have interests across technology, medicine, business, sales, operations, and other areas, and I would probably describe myself as somewhat of a polymath.
My weakness is networking and relationship-building.
I’m fairly introverted and quiet. I’m not naturally good at small talk, networking, or building and maintaining professional relationships. I can communicate professionally when there is a clear purpose, but casual networking does not come naturally to me and I sometimes struggle with social anxiety.
This has become a major problem in Saudi Arabia because, from my experience, getting a decent job here often depends heavily on knowing the right people and having a strong network.
I have applied to a large number of jobs and have never received a serious callback or landed a single interview.
LinkedIn has also become frustrating for me. A lot of job postings seem to go nowhere, and I became tired of the performative side of the platform: constant self-promotion, motivational posts, corporate language, and trying to appear enthusiastic about everything. I eventually deleted my LinkedIn profile because I couldn’t keep pretending to enjoy that environment.
I realize deleting LinkedIn may have hurt my job search, but at this point I genuinely don’t know how to get another job.
There is another issue that is difficult to talk about.
As an Egyptian expat in Saudi Arabia, I have personally felt that some employers see Egyptians as cheaper labor and expect more work for less money. I have experienced expectations around working late, being available outside normal business hours, answering calls after hours, and generally accepting conditions that I don’t think would be considered reasonable for everyone.
I don’t want this post to become a nationality debate. I’m only explaining how the job market has felt from my position and why I feel trapped.
Financially, I cannot afford to make a reckless move.
I have no meaningful savings. My current salary barely covers our essential expenses. My wife is currently unemployed, and finding work as an expat can be difficult for her as well.
I hate my current job, but quitting without another job lined up is not an option. I cannot afford even a short period without income.
Going back to Egypt is also not a realistic solution for me. The economic situation there would make things even more difficult for us, so I need to find a way forward while remaining employed in Saudi Arabia.
My absolute minimum acceptable salary is around SAR 10,000/month. Ideally, I want to eventually reach SAR 15,000+ and build a stable corporate career with real salary progression.
The career paths I’ve been considering include:
* B2B Sales / Sales Executive
* Business Development
* Sales Development Representative (SDR)
* Key Account Management
* Medical / Pharmaceutical Sales
* Healthcare commercial roles
* Commercial Operations
* Customer Success / Account Management
* SaaS / Technology Sales
* Possibly something else that combines healthcare, business, technology, research, and problem-solving
My biggest fear is choosing the wrong path and wasting more years.
At 30, I don’t want to keep moving between unrelated jobs until my CV becomes impossible to explain. I want to choose one direction, become genuinely good at it, develop valuable skills, and build a career that employers are willing to pay for.
I’m also realistic that I cannot simply stop working and retrain full-time. Any career transition has to happen while I remain employed.
So I would really appreciate practical advice, especially from people familiar with Saudi Arabia or the GCC job market.
If you were in my position:
Which career path would you commit to for the next 3–5 years?
Would you leverage the B.Pharm and pursue pharmaceutical/medical sales, or move fully toward B2B/business development?
Would Key Account Management be a better long-term path?
Is SaaS/technology sales realistic without formal technology experience?
Which of my existing skills are genuinely valuable and transferable?
What certifications or skills would give me the highest return over the next 6–12 months?
How should I structure my CV so that my mixed experience looks like an advantage instead of making me look unfocused?
Is SAR 10k–15k/month realistic in Riyadh for someone with my background?
How do you find opportunities in Saudi Arabia if LinkedIn applications are getting you nowhere?
How important is networking in these careers, and how can an introverted person who dislikes superficial networking build useful professional relationships?
Should I recreate LinkedIn and treat it purely as a job-search tool, even if I dislike the culture around it?
If you had to choose **one career direction for me**, what would it be and why?
I’m not really looking for “follow your passion” advice.
I need something practical: job availability, income stability, salary progression, transferable skills, barriers for expats, and a realistic path from where I am today.
I’m exhausted, increasingly desperate, and at my wit’s end. I know I need to change something, but because I have a wife depending on my income and no financial cushion, I cannot afford to make the wrong move.
If anyone has been through a similar situation — especially another expat in Saudi/GCC, someone who changed careers around 30, or someone working in pharmaceutical sales, B2B sales, SaaS, business development, or key account management — I would really value your perspective.