Wasim Ahmed, 39, was only in his teens when his father died unexpectedly. He had little choice but to take up the first job he could find – at a call centre.

More than 20 years later, the young man who struggled as his family’s breadwinner is closing big-ticket property deals in global cities.

The Indian national worked in property sales in the UAE for nine years before moving to Doha, Qatar, two years ago. Heading the Doha branch of a real estate agency, Mr Ahmed now handles property sales in Dubai, the UK, Qatar and India.

“You don't need any experience to be a real estate agent. You just have to be passionate about real estate,” says Mr Ahmed, who comes from Chennai, the capital city of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

"Your knowledge is wealth and your network is your net worth. Real estate will help you achieve your goals in a very short timeframe, but be prepared to work hard and be ready to make personal sacrifices.”

He lives in a two-bedroom apartment on Pearl Island in Doha with his wife and eight-year-old son.

Although Mr Ahmed completed his high school education, he couldn’t finish a bachelor’s degree in commerce because of financial problems at home. He has two diplomas, in aviation and hospitality and hotel management, from UK-based Edexcel.

What was your first job and salary?

My first job was as a call centre agent for Vodafone in India for a monthly salary of 4,000 Indian rupees ($45) in 2003-2004. I was 17 years old.

In the UAE, my first job was as a relationship manager for Damac Properties in 2016 on a basic salary of Dh8,000 ($2,178) plus commissions.

Developers pay salaries to real estate agents, but the commissions are low. However, I sold a lot of properties and earned between Dh20,000 and Dh30,000 in commissions per month.