No loans, no debt, no daddy's money. I started earning my own pocket money when I was 14. That was a long time ago. All the work was paid in cash. Every time I got paid, I brought the money home and left it on my dad's work table. My parents were free to do whatever they liked with that money. Give it all to me or contribute it to our daily expenses.
I don't come from a rich background. In fact, we lived many days without electricity and hot water. At a young age, I realized I had to find ways to help my hungry parents out. My dad's contracting business in Dubai took an unrecoverable beating after the economic crash, my mom's professor job wasn't helping us that much.
So, I started doing part-time jobs. Salesman, promoter, leaflet distributor, free samples in malls, working in exhibitions, extras in shoots. By the time I was 17, I became a good salesman. I remember the last interview I did was with blackberry, where the guy told me if I was able to sell him my worn-out shoes he'd give me a 2 years contract.
I got the part!
The big move.
I never signed the contract, though. I decided I was going to leave Dubai and pursue becoming a doctor. And that's exactly what I did.
Things weren't easy. At the time there were roughly around 300 foreign students in my uni in a city of 1.4 million people. This created an extremely difficult living condition.
No conventional jobs. No business without huge investments. A dud.
It took the system 3 months to get me enrolled and start my classes. The system was very slow back then. All I knew in my head was that I had to start generating income and figure out the finances for the whole education...with no scope of jobs and no capital for a business.
In the 3 months, I roamed the streets of the city. This is why I know a lot about Kharkiv including many ins and outs. I started learning the language and by the time my first class had started, I already knew to hold a basic conversation in Russian.
Classes ran from 9 am to 5 pm. Then there was studying at home including all the house chores. I still needed to find a way to generate income.
The first thing I did was modify the contract I had with the uni. 2 installments, every 6 months, paid in UAH, not USD.
The second thing I did was go up to all the well-established foreigners I knew and shamelessly ask them for a job. Most of them were dead ends.
The third thing I did was go to the Barabashova bazaar. The only place I knew had millions of Ukrainian Hryvnias going in and out every day. I wanted a piece of the cake.
The Start.
I found a few vendors who agreed to pay me a cut for every customer I brought to them. Remember, I was a good salesman, a rare foreigner, and could speak Russian. I think these factors helped find good deals with the vendors.
I kept finding people who needed things but didn't know how to get them. Most of my early clients were new foreigners like myself. Except they didn't take the time to learn the language and find the right places in the city. I did.
This hustle went on for almost a whole year. The upside was that I didn't have to sell anything, just take them to the right vendors. Also, I didn't have to waste any extra time because all my clients came from the uni or my dorms. I only had to make space for an extra hour or so every weekend to take my clients to the vendors.
$8000
That is the basic amount I needed per year to clear my 2 installments and pay for everything else including food, books, stationery, daily expenses like travel, and dorm. $8000 is a lot considering the average income in the city was about $100-$150 at the time. And I didn't even have a job.
By the time I had to pay the second installment, I realized I wasn't making the minimum required amount.
I started going easy on the food, started photocopying or borrowing books, survived the winter with just one jacket and no winter shoes gloves or cap. Started walking 45 minutes every day from uni to dorms to save on travel expenses.
I picked up another gig washing cars privately. Not too much there either but it was the best thing that happened to me.
One of the cars I washed regularly was owned by a businessman. I started building a connection with him over time. He wasn't a tycoon but was living very lavishly.
Over a few months, we built a very trusting relationship. He started taking me on drives, to business meetings and so on. Yes, he knew about my past and my current hustles. Maybe he saw something in me.
Then the Ukrainian revolution of 2014 came. The city was getting deserted and all my hustles went to bust. I survived on either one shawarma or one cup noodles a day.
I will become a doctor.
That is all I said to myself. Every day. Repeatedly. Every time my tummy rumbled. Every time I felt like quitting med school.
I survived the tough time. And it brought fruits.
Remember the businessman?
He offered me to quit all my hustles and work in his consultancy.
This was a bold move. Instead of taking out an extra hour every day from my learning and schooling, I would now have to take out a minimum of 4 hours. But the pay was regular and I would now have a job. I could just cut time on sleep.
Sleep is for the weak, that is where my catchphrase came from.
It was too hard to pass. And it was a very good business that'd help out more foreigners like myself. We worked together on building a consultancy that streamlined the guidance and admission processes required for aspiring candidates. There were many people abroad that wanted to pursue their education in Ukraine and this consultancy would bridge the gap.
The first quarter was a massive success. I played a huge role in it and by the 3rd quarter I was promoted to partner status. This meant 50-50 on all profits. I could potentially be making $8k in just one quarter and life would be great.
But life wasn't great.
A new system came into place that rendered our consultancy pretty much useless for q2 and q3. We could only run our business in q1 and q4. Although it would concentrate our profits, it wasn't a regular cash flow.
I once again hit the streets. The streets are where the money is. The streets are where I found my hustle and my calling. I had to go back to the basics.
I was living comfortably. Too comfortably. I had rented an apartment and left my dorm. I was paying 4 times the amount for the apartment than I did in the dorm. Plus the dorm was overall cheaper because you could share resources with others but in an apartment, all the expenses are to be taken care of by you and only you.
Come 3rd year of my education I was well on my way to success. I was sending home a good amount of money every month, whether they needed it or not. I already established a savings account that was accumulating interest. I found a few gigs as event MC/anchor that paid me once every 3-4 months. The consultancy was paying well. I had all the time to study and generate income at the same time.
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I remember becoming top of the class for the first 2 years even after I had to spare time to do business. I also remember how I was laughed at for having a past where I washed cars and middle manned the bazaar. I was always made fun of for leaving as soon as classes ended and not hanging around to smoke hookah or chill in a cafe.
But I had my own money, and they didn't.
I decided to invest big. I opened up my own consultancy while still running errands for my previous partner.
I created everything from the logo to the website of my consultancy. In return for running errands for my previous partner, he offered me work space. Every now and then I
I experimented with running an online perfume store, online t-shirt store, online reselling, and so on. Usually everything on Facebook. All of them did well but to scale these businesses meant giving a lot of time that I didn't have. I am a med student, with 8-hour lectures, hospital rounds, and home studying.
I quit all the small hustles while I was ahead. Took the profits, invested in my own consultancy which had 2 people working purely on a commission basis, and saved the rest after expenses. Most of the work was now either automated, delegated, or a one-time thing.
I was going to lectures, doing hospital rounds, running my business, and doing extra gigs at the cost of a few hours of sleep. Sleep is for the weak, anyway.
Never did I miss any class, any lecture, any exam, nor did I go over any deadlines for payments. Life was good.
Then the big bust happened.
The Bank Bust.
You see, the bank I was dealing with pulled a fast one. It had most of my money, my savings, my accumulated interest and so on. Over 3 years I became a gold member which meant if I needed anything I could call the account manager and they were obliged to come to my location if I asked them to.
But they suddenly shut down. And the manager that was supposed to run to me if I even hinted it to him didn't even mention anything like this would happen. The bank ran off with the money. They were bankrupt.
Huge legal case. Never got a dime back because of some sketchy paperwork.
So now I am back to 0. Literally 0. All that money I earned with my sweat, tears, and hunger went to hell.
Remember I was investing big? I put up $12000 on another business. We were supposed to open a lounge in one of the best streets in the city. All was well. But the lawyer handling our money and legal stuff ran off with that.
$25k in total. In a time when banks are shutting down left and right and the economy isn't so good 25k USD is a very huge amount. Never got that bastard either.
My partner lost $13k like it was nothing. It was daddy's money and there was a lot where it come from. I lost $12000 of my hard owned money. It hit hard. I almost went into depression with the bank and the lawyer situation. Technically I was running on "to be received" money from the consultancy.
But I still had the consultancy and the other smaller gigs. I could redo everything and start from scratch. This time I would have some capital from the ongoing work I have.
0% interest loans.
I knew a guy who was a loan shark. One of the bad kinds. I knew how his business ran so I was sure that is what I didn't want to do. I also had a good idea of how the UAH/USD market would do per season and where I could get the best exchange rates.
I started loaning out Ukrainian Hryvnia. There was no interest. All I wanted back was United States Dollars at a predetermined time which never exceeded 3 months.
I found clients I could trust and started loaning UAH out to them. It was a sort of arbitrage trading. Give UAH, get USD, go to my exchange guy, get a bigger amount of UAH. Buyback USD when the price is lower and so on. Kinda complicated, but after a few times, it gets easier and very profitable. The fluctuations of the market are your best friend.
In comes crypto.
One of the guys who asked me for loans asked me to invest in his project. Back then I didn't know what it was all about. All I knew was put in $3k get back $6k. Sounds good.
Turns out he was trading BTC cfd. He did tell me to buy some BTC if I wanted something for the long run. But you already know how that went. The cfd did well and I had a good chunk on me.
Crypto didn't really become a huge part of my lifestyle until later. I did not know there was an entire world of endless possibilities waiting for me on the other side of the coin. BTC apart, I joined the blockchain game somewhere in late 2018. I put in maybe $50 to get started.
I had an incredible time learning about different projects and crypto in general. The returns I was getting weren't huge back then. Maybe $50-$80 a month. I just started staking and buying and trading more coins with my earnings instead of cashing out. Today, I am a little more blessed.
The $0 business.
By now I am in the people business more than hustling. I am finding ways I can help people and make a buck. Remember, this is all towards my end goal: to become a doctor.
I had the biggest arsenal a businessman can have. Connections.
I pulled on one of those to create a business that had a huge market in the city but still was untapped. ESL schools.
My connection pulled through and within one week I had a legit, certified, one of the first of many ESL schools for adults in the city. It was more than successful.
My total investment was $0. Nothing. Nada. All I had was a dream and a team. The business didn't even run for a single quarter. 3 months into it I got an amazing deal from an uncle of one of my friends who wanted to buy us out. From $0 to $xxxxx in 3 months. I'll make a separate post about that someday.
The good and the bad time.
I still clearly remember walking in the snow with heavy snow falling on my head with just 20 UAH (0.9 USD) in my pockets after a whole day of work trying to come up wth a new source of income.
That night, I'll never forget, my dad called me asked me what was I doing out in the snow at night. I told him I was trying to get some work done and come up with a new source of income. He asked me how much did I make and I told him the truth.
He told me it was better if I quit med school instead of running around the whole night and coming back with 20 UAH. Bank ran off, the lawyer ran off, starting from 0 again, it was too much to handle. Trust me, I was broken that night. I was hurt. But in a way his words motivated me.
I decided to multitask even harder and make it even bigger.
And I eventually did.
I graduated with flying colors. Became a doctor. All on my own. My own sweat and tears. My own money. No debt. No loan. No daddy's money.
I went back to Dubai last year got licensed into the board and was fortunate enough to be in a position to help people. Out of the 12 months I spent in the front line, I donated 6 months of the salary and was still breathing and living. And that's the important thing, living to see the next day.
Now I am back where it all started in Ukraine and am specializing in gastroenterology. In a few months, I won't be a general physician anymore, I'll be a fully trained gastroenterologist.
I want to leave the aspiring soles with a few tried and tested tips:
- Find an affordable yet accredited university.
- Plan out your entire education and the finances required.
- Find a job. Waiter, uber, cleaner, doesn't matter.
- Save your money. Eat less, buy less, do less.
- Invest your money. Crypto is the best investment in this age, or else any good business will do.
- Understand the market and what it needs if you are going to start a business.
- Never compromise with your education. Education comes first, the others can wait.
- WALL TO THE BACK!!! NO PLAN B!!! When your back is against the wall and the world is against you, your survival instincts will guide you. Once you are guided, keep at it. You will find success.
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Uh oh.... a doctor who does not understand the important of sleep?
!LUV
@greatesteem(1/1) gave you
Very ironic right. Wait till you hear about 37 and 48 hour shifts haha
Zeal hunger for success ...this is what life suppose to be...struggles always get you a good fruit.....amazing g story and so many things gs to learn about....I was not aware about you, I asummed you to he with @priyanarc architecture things....but you surprises me with doctor degree
...
We come from 2 different walks of life. She is an architect and I am a doctor. But we have things in common. We don't get to spend so much time together since I am busy in the hospital.
Nah, he knows a little bit about architecture and he has knowledge about real estate but he is completely devoted to his profession. We both are completely from two different professions but we manage time for each other. I know after a few months, he will be tremendously busy. The funny fact is he never wrote about his profession so elaborately before until today :D @steemflow
When I saw you both on your chit-chst show I took you both of same profession...you both have good rhythm and understanding.....but it was after his post I understand the two different dimensions of your career
Oh it's been a long time, I guess still I have some files of our show, I remember people enjoyed it a lot. I guess it's 3 years almost. I had a plan to make a chit-chat show season 2 but we can't manage time anymore... Hahaha real life. I am glad you still remember that show, back then people enjoyed the show a lot...
Thanks for the encouragement. You have boost my momentum again
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The knowledge here is free. Do you what you must with it. I hope your momentum lasts long and brings you ripe fruits bro!
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Thanks for sharing your experiences
you are welcome
IRS is currently malding - 14 year old getting paid cash? THEFT!
but hey, congratulations man, I think stuff like this is fantastic, and people such as you re-imagine the way the social contract is supposed to function.
I guess good for me that IRS doesn't exist where I stay. The rules have been tightened a bit now though. Still...you know...
تحياتي دكتور ونتمنى لك التوفيق
Mes respects Docteur et bonne continuation
merci beaucoup
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It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.
Congratulation's on your One-Man Journey Success!!
Yessirrrskii
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Very true!
Dude what a remarkable story and how crazy it remains that education is so unreachable while it does so much. But you did it and all of the hussling paid off. And the best life experience you have..you will never forget how your patients hussle as well for their treatment making you a better doctor.
Kudos dude!! Endless kudos!
Much love from a scrubnurse wished!
Massive respect to you! I think its safe to say that there are plenty like me who dedicate a lot of their success and knowledge to nurses. Being a scrub nurse is incredible. You must have a lot of surgeons that have so much respect for you.
That's impressive!
Thanks
Ohh man what a story with so many doubts and bad actors on your success way.
I am glad that you achieved your dreams and you never give up.
Life can be really hard, but we can't let them beach us to the knees and not let us stand up.
I wouldn't say bad actors. They were very expensive lessons. But tbh, there's nothing you can do when you are faced with such a situation. It's not in your control.
Like the entire bust situation, there was exactly 0 I could do about it. Even after trying the legal route. At the end it only drove me to do more.
The point is that you always want to survive with many ideas for making money. You had many dissapoinments and you was supposed to start over and over again, until you be successful.
You are very tough and strong person, good that I meet you on hive blockchain.
I think we all have our toghening up phases. The difference is just that someone does something bigger than the next. Thanks for your words man. Don't forget we originally clicked because of our love for gaming 😏
Inspiring story! Hope you get your degree and save lives!
I should've made it clearer I guess. I've been practicing for almost 3 years now.
It was not an easy journey but you made it Doc! It was such an inspiring story. Thank you for sharing this to us!
It was not easy indeed. I am really flattered by your kind words.
Great story and congratulations… keep up the hard work and you will go far in life! 😃
That's the plan. Thank you so much!
Congratulations, your journey is inspiring
Thanks for the kind words!
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Amazing love seeing stories like this ! 💗
Man, this post is great. Simply great.
Such huge words of wisdom and such strong message. It all comes up as hardwork, no easy way out, no shortcuts, no anything... but hardwork.
Congrats on such huge achievement, you made it to the end and on your own terms. I'm out of words, but I feel so proud for you even I don't know you!
Yes it was difficult but so rewarding. The entire journey still feels like a dream to me. It opened up my eyes and I learned a lot about entrepreneurship, social contracts, and life as a whole.
In a way I am super glass I was put through so many challenges because it really tested me and made me a better person.
You have my admiration and respect, I have read the entire post with a high degree of enthusiasm! I love to see someone who is hungryyy and ready to do the necessary sacrifices in order to realize their dreams. Losing all of those money after the bank declared bankruptcy, oh my that would have killed many people!
Saving on food, expenses. Giving up. Getting back up. Dreaming. Pursuing. Never being exhausted of the game called life. This is inspirational! You will be one hell of a a doctor I can see that!
Funny to think that so many people consider Dubai the place for getting rich, you managed to get on top in Ukraine...Ukraine... wonderful, thanks for sharing your uplifting story!
Too many adults rely on daddy's/mommy's money and fail to become a strong independent person. Reading this makes you say: this is how you do it haha.
I must say there is a bit of luck involved as well. I was lucky I entered Ukraine at a time when there was a lot of opportunities but only if you could see it. My dad was a businessman in Dubai so I knew what it took to run a business at both the good times and bad times. I came to Ukraine equipped with work experience and a good understanding of networking and work ethics.
Ukraine made me believe that all life experiences, no matter how small, is very valuable. They create an advantage that the next person without those experiences does not have.
I actually say this from time to time hahaha
Maybe watching your dad doing business helped you grasp the basic concepts and apply the principles in Ukraine. Never giving up no matter what is really crucial! Your patients are lucky to have someone like you taking care of their health !
Congratulations, and well done :) With such determination, your patients are lucky to have you ❤️
I am lucky to serve them
Inspiring story. Thanks for sharing with us und a huge thumps up for your resilience and persistence 👍
Thanks for your kind words
Thank you for sharing this amazing post on HIVE!
Your content got selected by our fellow curator @priyanarc & you just received a little thank you via an upvote from our non-profit curation initiative!
You will be featured in one of our recurring curation compilations and on our pinterest boards! Both are aiming to offer you a stage to widen your audience within and outside of the DIY scene of hive.
Join the official DIYHub community on HIVE and show us more of your amazing work and feel free to connect with us and other DIYers via our discord server: https://discord.gg/mY5uCfQ !
If you want to support our goal to motivate other DIY/art/music/homesteading/... creators just delegate to us and earn 100% of your curation rewards!
Stay creative & hive on!
Life is pretty hard, but the ones who have strong willing power are the ones who can excel at any given moment.
Done yourself proud to bring yourself back many times your clearly resilient keep on plodding along you will be the success you dream.
Yoooo!! Chief this is some superstar-level stuff!!. Congratulations on becoming a gastroenterologist. I am super proud to be practising this profession with people like you. You have inspired me a lot and I would really love to have your level of resilience.
I did a search on the word depression and your post came up. I am usually inspired by the post I read up under this search word.
@bhoa, see person wey we dey strive to become like here.
Thank you for the motivation!!!
Que historia tan conmovedora, eres un luchador nato, y definitivamente tu lucha para estudiar medicina y tu historia servirá de ejemplo a otros chicos
What a touching story, you are a born fighter, and definitely your struggle to study medicine and your story will serve as an example to other kids.
Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to read about me. I hope I can make a difference, isn't that what life is all about?
Today I was a little sad and discouraged and didn't want to write, but stories like yours serve as inspiration, you are a young guy, you have a lot of life ahead of you, may God grant you the requests of your heart.
You know what I liked the most about your story, that you sent money to your parents, you didn't care if they needed it or not, that's honoring your parents.
I hope you have a lot of success
Hoy estaba un poco triste y desanimada no quería escribir, pero historia como la tuya sirven de inspiración, eres un chico joven, tienes mucha vida por delante, permita Dios te conceda las peticiones de tu corazon.
Sabes que fue lo que más me gustó de tu historia, que le enviaba dinero a tus padres,, no te importaba si lo necesitaran o no, eso es honrar a tus padres.
Espero tengas muchos exitos
Never forget that you are an inspiration to others as well. At times, we all lead our lives considering it to be mundane or unimportant, but in fact we are someone else's inspiration always. I am deeply touched by your kind words.
Oye desde donde estoy un gran abrazo, imagino las difíciles cosas que estás pasando, pero siente consuelo que a pesar de todo yo me sentí inspirada por ti, por tu vida y por todo lo que estás viviendo, se que no somos casualidad y yo disfruto leer muchas publicaciones pero la tuya fue súper especial, espero puedas solucionar todo y me escribas después lo positivo para que yo me alegre contigo
Hey from where I am a big hug, I imagine the difficult things you are going through, but feel comforted that despite everything I felt inspired by you, by your life and everything you are living, I know we are not casual and I enjoy reading many publications but yours was super special, I hope you can solve everything and then write me the positive for me to be happy with you.
Student loans have become something students of today are struggling with. I know this cause I'm a student and my elder brother told me a lot about his experience while studying. I really hope every student gets to read this and become inspired the way I am already.
What a powerful story! I'm glad you told me about this post :) You have my deep respect and now I'm even more certain that you will make it again. Stay strong, my dear friend!
no sleep doctor with facemask
You are one of a kind Doctor🥰 Very inspiring!
Wow what an incredible journey you've had. Amazing story. I guess I'm one of the weak, if I don't sleep enough my health suffers immediately :( I'm working to become self-sufficient and making progress but I still have a long way to go. I've been sleeping better which has improved my energy and productivity.
I have what we call in America, "helicopter parents." Many times I have dreamed of moving away from home even if I am not ready financially, hoping that with my back against the wall, I would find the strength to do what is necessary. Unfortunately, I know from discussing with them that my parents would be in a state of panic and terror if I just left without proving to them I can live on my own beforehand, and this knowledge and guilt would make it much harder to succeed. So I am trying to show them, even though I cannot unlock the back against the wall mentality while still living with my parents.
It’s look pretty good to see that you are almost done. I believe it was not a short journey but you are now at the stage from where you must work for mankind. Wish u a better luck and I do think that you will fullfill your job in coming future .
You wont believe how much more pressuring GP is compared to a speciality. one year was enough for me. maybe 5 years down the line I'll try and work my way towards becoming a consultant.
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Congratulation bro, becoming a doctor without even father money is not an easy job, in my country, people are just hopeless/powerless without their father and family money but I have a similar history like you although I'm not a doctor nor a salesman but you know who well me. btw, I'm really happy to see you as a doctor, and best of luck with your ahead life
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Yeah looking back it feels like a dream. I still long for that level of drive. I hope I find it someday.
I cant speak for them. They haven't had their backs against the walls yet. Once that happens, it's only up from there.
You are going great in your own lane. We all have our lanes and the conquest to grow bigger than it.
Thank you. Its been just around 3 years but this job is really tough. I only pray I can keep going and become a better doc every day.
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you too man and Yes that is what peoples need in every country
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