By Syeda Juveria Afreen | SJA

Instagram: (@sja_thedude) 

Have you ever considered life from an INTJ perspective? Maybe some of you don’t even know what that is. Here, we’ll walk through life as this rare Myers-Briggs personality type, reviewing how it has conditioned my life and career as a woman in an Arab country with tough and strict rules. But, most importantly, how I learned to embrace everything and move ahead with a new thought process, overcoming and thriving in my career as a woman in Saudi Arabia. 

What is a INTJ personality?

Let me give you a small overview of it. I am an INTJ (the rarest female personality type comprising 0.5% of the world population) and life has been very difficult for me, particularly in terms of getting support and working to build a career. Career should always be the first priority in life and it was for me, but I struggled a lot for it. But as it is said that “Experience is a hard teacher because it gives the test first, and the lesson afterwards.” So it was for me.

I went through endless difficulties for years until I found that one company that gave me my first full-time remote job and changed my life, opening up endless opportunities! But, before that happened, I went through 5 companies within a year,  6 months of job searching and 50+ interviews already given. Job searching was strenuous for me.

As the quote says “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” And oh! It’s true. It was my courage and zeal that helped me to achieve and start on an amazing note. This is my story of finding work and thriving in my career as a woman in Saudi Arabia. 

Being an INTJ (Myers Briggs personality type), the last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for me. INTJ means introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging. It is one of the 16 personality types identified by a personality assessment called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Female INTJs are the rarest personality type with just 0.5% of the world population. Examples of some INTJs are Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Nikola Tesla, Michelle Obama, Jodie Foster etc.

An INTJ looks at the big picture and likes to focus on abstract information rather than concrete details. They also tend to be a perfectionist. Someone with an INTJ personality places greater emphasis on logic and objective information rather than subjective emotions. Talking about emotions makes them uncomfortable. They are the kind of people for whom a career means everything in life, who are focused, intelligent, curious and hardworking. Women who identify with the INTJ personality type are typically independent, confident and happy alone. They are goal-oriented, focused, intelligent, curious, hardworking and constantly working on personal and professional projects. INTJs can completely relate what a career means for them and how I felt. This was like a burden for me which was just destroying me day and night. It has been tough or you can say one of the most difficult times one can be in. I relate a hell of a lot with others who have experienced problems in their careers. 

I was always career-oriented and had plans for everything. When I completed my bachelor’s in 2017 I wanted a job to gain experience to learn and was willing to even take unpaid work. But, without experience, I was not getting any interest from potential employers.  I thought maybe getting some experience with online courses would help. So, in 2018, I completed professional courses in web development, web designing and mobile app development. 

The iqama permit got in the way

In 2019, I undertook my first interview for a sales job as I thought it would give me some experience but because it was on-site I couldn’t take it. My father, who is orthodox and against females working, refused for iqama transfer, which stops me from working anywhere on-site in the country. 

Iqama is a residence permit issued to all ex-pat residents in Saudi Arabia by the Ministry of Interior and it works as an identity to live legally in Saudi Arabia. It states that one cannot work on-site if iqama is not transferred to the company. On the same note, if a company cancels the transfer of iqama for a person working in Saudi Arabia, then that person needs to find another job where they can transfer iqama or they will have to leave Saudi Arabia at the earliest. 

This is one of the countries in the world where most people prefer not to live because of the restrictions on females and sponsor issues. Among females, only Saudi women are considered for a job here, be it on-site or remote. And even though have been in Saudi Arabia since the time I was born but I’m Indian by Nationality, I never got any rights or freedom as a citizen of Saudi Arabia should have. 

Nevertheless, I was not going to quit pursuing my goals. So, I kept applying for jobs. Soon, I started getting more calls for roles. Many companies contacted me –maybe around 50 or more than that but they were all on-site. It was impossible for me to work anywhere or start my career. 

I was contacted by one of the biggest construction companies as well as one of the most popular hospitals in Saudi Arabia and, although I tried to talk to my father about these potentially amazing career opportunities, he was adamant. Which only left me feeling more frustrated. And nothing changed. 

In 2020, I joined a tech company working remotely as Technical Support & Web developer, but they turned out to be less than honest, making me work day and night before disappearing. I didn’t know what I could do. It was hurtful to be an INTJ and not to be able to do what you wanted.

It hurts when you need someone’s support and there is not even a single person who is there and cheer for you. But in my entire journey which was filled with stones, unwanted situations, and difficulties, my mom was the only one who stood by me, no matter what. She made me the person I am today by never forcing anything on me and helping me develop my personality, which is as rare as her. There is nothing in the world that I desired, and I haven’t received it from her, she gave me everything I wanted.

Tough conditions to live and work in Saudi Arabia

Rules, and regulations here in Saudi Arabia are quite tough for females! Tough for females in the sense of being tough for those who are not Saudi by nationality, like me. First, we can’t work in Saudi Arabia without the sponsor’s permission, which in this case is my father. 

Second, a female can’t rent a house on her own to live as it’s against the rules of Saudi Arabia and can be jailed for it. We can’t go out of the house without wearing Abaya –a long, usually dark-coloured cloak, worn by many Muslim women, that covers the woman totally from her neck to her toes.

My Father never wanted me to be independent. That’s the reason he never supported my career and the rules in Saudi Arabia never helped me move forward. And, since my father was not ready to transfer iqama, I struggled a lot to make a career with whatever opportunity I could find.

People living outside can comfortably say that you can do anything in Saudi Arabia but those who live here know the actual pain. Even in today’s world, there are so many places and countries where females are not given any rights. They are discouraged and humiliated and are never supported and encouraged to achieve their goals, even when they may have untold potential.

I was taunted, and criticized by friends, relatives and by a lot of people. They made fun of me and laughed at my goals, and my dreams, and told me I cannot do anything in life. “At least, you should get married!” They said. They became the worst a person can be but I never listened to anyone’s words and continued to proceed further with my goals. 

Time passed by with my heart broken for my dreams, my career, and my aspirations but, still, I was just fighting to find one way to make everything I wanted possible

Then in 2021, there was a new ray of hope for me: Microverse! 

A new door was open

Microverse is an online remote school for software developers that help you get popular the tech skills like programming languages, help you understand, use and master GitHub, prepare for interviews, work on your job application materials like the cover letter, Resume, elevator pitch, LinkedIn  and profiles, and support you on your search for a remote  job. This is the moment that changed my life. One of the best decisions I’ve made. 

During Microverse I got my first role as Technical Support Engineer and currently, I am part of 5 companies! Before Microverse I did not know about remote jobs. Nor a single company on LinkedIn contacted me for interviews. But when I was in the job searching stage, I gave more than 50 interviews. Thanks, Microverse for supporting me when no one else did. 

Microverse helped me in building many technical skills, communication skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork, remote working, collaboration, GitHub, leadership qualities, taking interviews, recruiting etc.

Today I can proudly say that currently I am Co-founder & CTO at Apex Games (based in the USA), Senior Software Engineer at GenRAIT (based in the USA) and Content Writer at Life Lovers Magazine (based in the UK). And I had also a year of experience as Technical Support Engineer at Microverse (based in the USA) and 8 months of experience as Game Producer & Developer at Dovelp (based in the UK). This is not the end. I still have to do a lot more in life!

I never wanted a job or a career for money because the thing that was most important for me was to be recognized for what SJA is and what she is capable of doing. Not only that, but I wanted people to recognize me for who and what I am. And today many people know me. They know who SJA is and what she can do, which is the greatest achievement for me.

“When you start working on what you want, is the day you start to live.”

I wanted so badly to be an inspiration, a leader whom people can trust, and rely on. I am happy to say that some people consider me such a person now, and I would like to be a better version of myself every day for them! 

I write motivational content on LinkedIn, where many relate to it and want to be like me. They love what I write and I love helping them. They say, “the day you see people start copying you is the day you are successful!”, and I believe it to be true. Even after striving hard for almost 4 years, I never lost hope and always had a positive attitude in life no matter how bad the situation would get. I know sometimes life gets damn difficult, and it’s actually not possible to maintain a positive attitude forever. 

But if you are focused on your goals and trust your abilities and strengths, then maintaining a positive attitude toward life won’t be hard. It basically depends on how we take each situation. For example, if someone criticizes you or tries to demotivate you at that time, don’t start doubting or discouraging yourself. Instead, be confident in yourself and don’t mind what others think. Just focus on yourself, your life and your goals. Never give importance to people who have bad intentions, it’s not worth it.

But you and your dreams are worth it!

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“About me”

Hi, SJA here. I am Motivational Content Creator | Co-founder & CTO | Senior Software Engineer | Content Writer. To know more about me or read motivational content do follow me on Linkedin: sja-thedude 

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