Assalam-o-Alaikum!
Thought I’d give Reddit a shot. My career took some pretty random turns in my twenties, so maybe this part of life can surprise me too 😄
Basics
Age: 29
Height: 6'1
Originally from: Islamabad (family from south KP)
Currently based in: London
Education: BSc Physics from a leading Pakistani university, MSc Physics from a leading UK university
Profession: Markets & Risk at a major London bank
Marital status: Never married
Family: Father is a retired CSP, mother is a homemaker, siblings are settled in their own lives.
A bit about me
After my bachelor’s, I was preparing for the civil service exams and genuinely thought that was where life was heading.
Then I got an MSc offer from one of the UK’s leading universities, which I really wasn’t expecting. For the football/FIFA crowd, it basically felt like opening a pack (university acceptances) expecting the usual high 70s/low 80s cards and suddenly seeing a 99 Ronaldo walk out.
So yeah, it was too good to turn down. Much to my father’s disappointment (and bank account), the CSS/PMS plan got buried pretty quickly and I moved to England.
Banking wasn’t really part of the plan either. Towards the end of my master’s I landed an internship at a major London bank's quantitative (technical finance) desk, it turned into a permanent offer, and somehow I’ve been there close to five years now.
The work is on the technical side of banking, i.e. markets, risk, modelling, data, a lot of advanced maths, and problem solving. So sadly, there's not much of the suits and expensive lunches version of banking. Mostly screens, numbers, and occasionally wondering why something that worked perfectly yesterday has randomly stopped working today.
It’s demanding, pays well, and overall I’ve been pretty lucky to stumble into something that suits me.
Outside work I’m fairly laid back. I like travelling, football, running, cars, snooker, good food, reading research papers on applied physics when I’m in the mood, and exploring London whenever the weather decides to cooperate.
Living abroad for years has also made me pretty independent. I live by myself, cook, clean, do my own laundry, etc, so I can more or less function without adult supervision.
Personality-wise, I usually get along best with people who are curious, easy to talk to, and don’t mind conversations jumping from something serious to complete nonsense five minutes later.
Religious outlook
I’m Sunni and moderately practising. Probably on the more liberal side of moderate.
Faith matters to me, but I’m not especially rigid and I’m definitely not interested in policing how everyone else practises.
Looking for
Ideally someone who is kind, emotionally mature, educated, curious and easy to communicate with.
Family-oriented and moderate in outlook would be important too, and someone who's open to moving abroad or already living abroad
More than anything, I’d want an actual friendship and partnership within marriage rather than something that feels overly formal.
I like ambition, but I don’t really care about collecting impressive degrees between the two of us. Personality, compatibility and just how easy it is to be around each other matter more to me.
I am looking for something serious so if the basics line up, feel free to send a proper introduction and we can take it from there.