From Petroleum to Prosperity

Coming from a country whose economy relies on a prehistoric substance that will not only definitely run out but whose global presence is slowly dwindling in demand, I hear the overwhelming sound of a ticking time bomb. Kuwait is a minuscule dot on the world map; hardly seen but hard to forget. Its petroleum industry controls 9% of world crude oil reserves; the oil that unfortunately fuels our world. It is only a matter of time before the last droplets of this so-called ‘liquid gold’ are extracted, and so our country’s tomorrow relies on sustainable alternatives and new ventures to fuel us again; a new reality that I’m hoping to explore and delve into through my business studies.

Aside from the apocalyptic talk, Kuwait was actually established as a thriving trade and business community because of its strategic location connecting India, East Africa, and the Levant. From a history of trading pearls for spices and building homes out of mud, Kuwait has experienced vast urbanization of its lands and is now a flourishing business hub. To paint a picture, I would say it is the more laid-back brother of Dubai. It is because of these fertile business soils that I wanted to venture into the business route for university and it is why I’m here attending this Semester in San Francisco program (remotely).

Coming into this program, it is hard to ignore the lively entrepreneurial spirit (even through Zoom) — whether it be in the Silicon Valley air or simply in the background story of each faculty member. I am thrilled to be a part of a promising program that will not only teach me the know-how of starting and maintaining a business, but will also allow me to first hear it from successful business owners, listen and learn from past failures of others, and experience it for myself through all the projects over the next 4 months. After a week of attending classes, I am overwhelmed by the dedication of everyone involved to create such a unique program and experience.

For this Marketing course specifically, I am excited to rethink and re-experience this subject that I haven’t had the best experience studying in the past. While my last Marketing class was a more text-book based B2C-based course, I’m eager to learn through a more experiential, guest-lecture-based course that touches on B2B as well. I was also very happy to see the list of projects and assignments we have like “My Favorite Company” which will not only allow me to dive deep into the marketing of successful companies but also allows for a more personal and individual class experience.

All in all, I want to leave this San Francisco program and specifically this Marketing course with a new-found understanding of how to build a successful business from managing it to marketing it. I want to be able to use the tools given to me to intertwine my interests and create something meaningful. And mostly, I want to think of, develop, and create a new sustainable and alternative future for my home-country of Kuwait to help fuel it for tomorrow’s ever-changing world (no crude-oil involved).