Some of my final engineering gigs I worked on included working with 2 satellite companies - one owned by the gov’t who paid foreign vendors to set everything up and had no clue on basic signal detection. I conducted signal measurements training for them.

The 2nd client was a private company, had some of the most advanced engineers I’ve worked with, they were 20-30 years older but respectful. This was on system setup consultation and problem mitigation for cross signals and intermodulations.

Back home the engineering profession was niche. I covered 5 countries, hundreds of clients, managed 2 teams, non-stop travel, and was paid only $1k - $1.5k. I was tired, underpaid. Also only female, only minority, only one who rocks the damn heels with a drill.

Eventually I decided to start my own business providing engineering services - There were many potential clients who needed solutions, for example one was on setting up wireless key test measurement for automobile manufacturers. Another was on setting up EMC lab for military vehicles.

I design the system, create the proposal, but somebody else will always win the bid using my solutions and outsource it back to me for 10% lol.

I was too timid to say anything. But I was beginning to understand how the business world in corrupt countries worked.

In my country most of the major deals cannot be awarded to minorities (by law) but more than anything it was corrupt - you need to know somebody on the inside, pay under table money to get the deal.

So I gave up on that business and tried a few other things and eventually explored low level tech. Startups started to vibe in recent years and I picked it up, but little did I realise it was also controlled by the govt who were corrupt. I was beginning to understand the importance of the free market.

During this time not many people understood entrepreneurship. Startups differ from normal businesses because innovations demand early adopters and higher cost among many other things. I had wonderful friends but I had no one to talk to.

So I just doubled down and learned everything I could. Pursued higher grad, worked with startups globally, picked up insane reading.

It took me a long time but this helped charter a few ways out of my problems and I started working towards them.

I still have a long way to go, but at least now I have a path.

My goal is upward mobility so that my nephews and my children (if i am lucky someday) will live a life where they can have options. This goal keeps me going on most days.

But sometimes I can’t help wondering if I could have gotten much further in life, much faster if I had diff opportunities, diff environment.

This is also why when I first learned about Bitcoin, I completely fell in love with it. You would be able to see how many problems around the world can slowly go away when global adoption picks up.

Anyways, here’s to taking every chance you get and keep moving forward in whichever way possible, no matter what the circumstances are. Because if you don’t, you will get left behind.

And here’s to another weekend of non stop work lol.