From a sales job to dream media role: How this Kerala graduate rebuilt his life in the UAE

Dubai: He came to the UAE with hopes of becoming a video editor. But 25-year-old Ibin Nayakam says the country gave him the biggest personality development lesson in life.

Hailing from the coastal city of Thiruvananthapuram, Nayakam is the son of a fisherman and a homemaker, and the first graduate in his family.

After completing a mass communications degree in Kerala, Nayakam explored opportunities abroad. A chance to study in Germany fell through because he could not afford the associated expenses.

“The course was free but we had to submit some expense related documents, and it would have cost me INR 10 lakhs. I couldn’t afford that money,” he said.

So, he completed a master's degree at Jammu University and later worked as a media coordinator with Alliance Française.

But after just one year of working with the company, Nayakam found himself in a difficult situation. His parents had taken a loan for his sister’s wedding, and he was the only member who could help the family come out of financial distress.

“Financially, I couldn’t grow in Kerala and my skills weren’t improving either. I thought moving abroad would be a good idea,” Nayakam said.

He had heard that many people from his home state had come to the UAE and built a life here, so he found comfort in the fact that he would find a familiar environment. His move to the UAE, though, came to him as a surprise.

“I found everything to be new here,” he said.

The money his mum gave him was running out after a two-month job search, so Nayakam decided to take any job he could get.

“I asked for a job at one of the photo studios in Jebel Ali. It was a photostat shop, where we would take pictures of the workers in the area for their visa applications and print them out,” he said.

His experience with editing software came in handy and he was able to work temporarily at the shop, filling in for a staff member who had gone on leave.

He then started going for walk-in interviews, desperate to find a job that would give him a residency. He found an offer for a sales job at Nesto hypermarket, with a salary of AED 1,300.

“My priority was getting a visa, so I chose the sales point of entry. I didn’t tell them what I had studied and what my previous work was, because I could not go back – I didn’t have the money and it had been four months in the UAE. If I went back home empry-handed, my parents would be broke. I wouldn’t have found a job easily there, either,” he said.

So, he stayed. Working on the sales floor in the textile department, carrying clothes, steaming them and attending to customer queries.

“Many people who studied like me ignored jobs like this because they thought it would lower their status. But I thought, let's see what is going to happen,” he said.

For the next few months, he tried to learn how to work as a sales person. The kindness of the people he worked with went a long way in making the shift easier.

“I had a masters degree in communication, but they were the masters at the work I had to do,” he said with a laugh.

Despite the language barrier – they didn’t speak English and he didn’t speak Hindi – he persevered in the job, even watching Hindi web series during his mid-day breaks to be able to communicate more easily with his colleagues.

But a feeling he could not shake off was how his skills as a media person were taking a hit.

“I worked there for over a year and a half and month by month I could feel that I was losing my skills of editing and communication,” he said.

He also saw the posters and videos around him and realised that in order to produce similar content he had to upskill. So, during his free time, he would watch tutorials, trying to learn text and visual effects, video editing techniques and graphic design overlays that would improve his work.

He soon realised that he needed to focus on his primary skill – video editing.

“I had been editing videos since I was 15 and got my first phone. I realised that I had the skill to take raw videos and turn them to tell a story through it, with narration and flow,” he said.

A change in roles, from sales to back office inventory assistance also helped Nayakam get more time to hone his skills further, but what truly made the difference, he says, is the people he was working with. A manager, who started off in sales as well, but had a passion for cricket, for example.

“I felt like he would understand my feelings, so I showed a video I had edited on my laptop to him. I told him that if he could support me, I would be able to concentrate more on my video editing skills,” he said.

Once his manager saw the work he was doing, he gave him a 10-day break, to focus purely on video editing and learn as much as he could.

“I made a big schedule to improve my skills. Those 10 days were really precious to me,” he said.

Once he was able to polish his work, he gained the confidence to share it with others and reach out to people in his company’s HR department to look for work in his field.

One of the first videos he made was on the story of the company’s founder – K. P. Basheer – who also came from the same Indian state of Kerala and built a business empire, despite modest beginnings. The video helped his skills get recognised and he soon found himself at the company’s head office, taking a meeting with the HR department.

“I was very nervous, but all of them made me feel so comfortable. They welcomed me into the room and recognised me for the work I had done. That was the moment I felt my life was finally about to change,” he said.

This month, Nayakam started working in his new role – as a media coordinator in the HR department. One of his very first tasks, he says, is to share the stories of the workers in the company who work hard, recognising them for their efforts.

“I am happy that I am representing employees from the floor level – my part would be to make employees visible, how to technically enhance their story,” he said.

He also does not miss a chance to name all the managers and supervisors who have helped me return to his passion for video editing.

“Ranil Ramachandran Sir discussed my name and talents with the head office continuously, even though I was one of the many young strangers he met asking for opportunities randomly. Fajis Moossa Sir noticed me and finally positioned me in the company. He also gave me his number and responded to all my queries, on many days. Junaid Sir in the inventory section was the one who gave me hope that I could move to the media department as an internal hire,” he said.

The list of names is long, but not one Nayakam misses, because these are also the people who helped him dispel any self-doubt he may have.

Hameed P. P., the HR head of Nesto Group, spoke about how the company has always created an environment that encourages and support's growth.

"Nayakam's journey is a wonderful example of what can happen when determination, talent, and opportunity come together," he said.

"He joined Nesto as a salesman and, through his passion for media and communication, continuous self-learning, and dedication beyond his daily responsibilities, demonstrated capabilities that extended beyond his assigned role. We firmly believe that talent can emerge from any position within Nesto. Nayakam's success story is not an isolated case; it reflects our broader culture of recognising talent from within and supporting employees in achieving their professional goals. We are delighted to see employees like Nayakam succeed and inspire others, and we will continue creating an environment where hard work, dedication, and talent are recognised and rewarded," he added.

Nayakam's journey is a wonderful example of what can happen when determination, talent, and opportunity come together.

A natural introvert, Nayakam says the people around him have given him the inspiration and support to become more expressive. Dubai, on the other hand, has given him a space that helps him believe the sky is the limit.

“I would never get the same environment anywhere else in the world. At one point, I wanted to move to Europe, but now that I am in the UAE, I don’t think I want to go anywhere else,” he said.

One of the reasons for his decision to stay is that the country creates the perfect environment for anyone willing to work to achieve their dreams. Meet enough people who have found success and you, too, start believing that anything is possible.

“Even when I was working on the sales floor, whenever I felt demotivated, I would just speak to a supervisor in the food section or a customer. I’d ask them about who they are and how they got to where they were,” he said.

“Everyone I spoke with had a similar story – of coming to the UAE with very little and finding success. You don’t really need to go to Instagram to watch an inspirational video if you are in the UAE. You can ask the person in front of you and he’ll have a story.

“That’s why I’ll stay here and I continue in my journey - use the opportunity, love and care the country is giving and focus on my growth,” he said.

As for the people who have helped him along the way?

“I pray to God that they get everything they want in life.”