My name is Umair Khan, and I belong to a small village in Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. I come from a simple background where many people are still not aware of online earning opportunities. But today, I am working as a Technical Support Engineer at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
My journey started back in 2018 when I first came to know that people can earn money online through YouTube. This idea was very new to me. I got excited and created my own YouTube channel. I started making tech videos, but I had no proper direction. One day I was learning about YouTube, the next day I was trying video editing, and then I moved towards graphic designing. Because of this, I was not able to focus on one skill, and I could not succeed on YouTube.
At that time, I had taken admission in ICS, and my interest in technology kept increasing. But still, I was confused and did not have a clear path.
In 2020, everything started to change. I came to know about DigiSkills, and I enrolled in freelancing and WordPress courses. This was the first time I started learning something properly with focus. I began practicing WordPress by creating different websites and improving my skills day by day.
In 2021, I created my first portfolio website. This was a very important step in my journey. After that, I started sharing my work and trying to get clients. Soon, I got my first real local client through my portfolio website. He appreciated my work and trusted me with his website. That was a big confidence boost for me.
At the same time, I also tried platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, but honestly, I did not get any success there in the beginning. It was difficult, and sometimes I felt disappointed, but I kept going.
In 2022, I made a clear decision to focus on WordPress and SEO. I stopped jumping between different skills and gave my full attention to learning and improving in WordPress. To improve my SEO skills, I enrolled in the SEO course on iSkills by M Tanveer Nandla. This helped me discover another side of WordPress, especially content structure, SEO, and the block editor. It opened many new opportunities for me and helped me understand websites in a better way. This decision helped me a lot.
In 2023, due to some personal reasons, my journey slowed down a bit. But in 2024, I decided to restart everything with full focus and energy. This time, I wanted to do things the right way. I was also invited by students from NUML Islamabad to share my freelancing journey and experience with them. This was a very special moment for me because I never thought that one day I would be guiding others.
I took guidance from Faraz Ahmed, also known as Faraz The Web Guy. He helped me optimize my profile and guided me properly. This step proved to be very important for me.
After optimizing my Upwork profile, I finally got an invitation for my first platform job. It was related to troubleshooting WordPress issues. I completed it successfully. Then I got my second, third, and fourth jobs, and all of them were related to WordPress troubleshooting. Slowly, I started building my confidence and experience.
Then one day, something happened that I never even imagined.
I received a message from WordPress.com, part of Automattic. They reached out to me for a position as a Technical Support Engineer. I could not believe it at first. It felt unreal for someone like me coming from a small village.
After going through the process, I got selected.
Today, I am working with Automattic as a Technical Support Engineer. It is a fully remote job, and I am working with a global team. This is something I once only dreamed of. In 2025, I also became part of the organizing team of WordCamp Islamabad. It was a great experience to contribute to the WordPress community and connect with amazing people in the industry.
My journey was not easy. I faced confusion, failures, and slow progress. But one thing I learned is that consistency and focus are very important. If you keep switching skills, you will not grow. But if you stay consistent in one field, you will definitely succeed.
To everyone who is starting from a small town or village like me, I just want to say that it is possible. You do not need big resources. You just need the right direction, patience, and hard work.
If I can do it from a remote village in Upper Dir, you can do it too.
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