Cattle herder to MBA: Expat in UAE learns his way to success

Cattle herder to MBA: Expat in UAE learns his way to success

The 42-year-old landed in the UAE from Kerala in 2001.





An Indian worker who started out as a cattle herder at a desert in Abu Dhabi's Liwa has used the power of education to change his fortunes. With generous help from his Emirati sponsor, Shareef M.P. has completed college and is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration (MBA). He is also preparing to get a doctorate.

"I have been balancing work and studies for over 15 years now. I am using education to change my life. I started with less than Dh400 a month and today make up to Dh10,000 as a government liaison officer (public relations officer - PRO)," he said.

The 42-year-old landed in the UAE from Kerala in 2001. "I started off by rearing goats for two years at a farm. I was interested in reading and learning new things and made a good impression on my sponsor. I requested that I be given a chance to complete my studies," Shareef said.

Since he knew how to make Arabic dishes, he was made a cook. "It gave me free time to study. I knew the only way out of my situation was education."

After that, the Malayali was