In today’s PureVPN profile, we spotlight Yasir, a digital content producer. His responsibilities include coming up with content that can be used to market PureVPN across a variety of personas that speak to our current user base.
More specifically, Yasir works in the travel persona, which might be a little tough to do right now, but nonetheless is all based on why we’d use a VPN if we’re planning to travel or find ourselves on foreign shores.
On growing at PureVPN and learning more about the real purpose of virtual private networks:
“I wasn’t well-versed in the lingo of cybersecurity before this job. For me VPNs were just a novelty extension I had installed on my browser in case I ran into a website banned in the country. Working for PureVPN has transformed the way I see VPNs altogether. What features to look for, how to ensure I’m not being tracked, how to gauge the safety of any app, what steps can I take to remain anonymous, even from my own ISP and a lot more.”
Right now, thanks to the pandemic, Yasir’s workday is a little more flexible than before the pandemic. After waking up around 9:45, enjoying breakfast and taking a shower, followed by reading the cover of Dawn and checking on personal emails, he dives into work, beginning with a mini to-do list for the day to stay on schedule. His day-to-day has “only slightly changed since work from home began. I still spend 9, sometimes more, working. The only difference is that I have a lot more flexibility when I begin. 10AM-7pm is devoted to work. Afterward, I usually take an hour-long nap followed by dinner. Then I read for the next 2-3 hours. Currently, I’m on a book titled Terrorism: A History by Rendell D. Law. Then it’s usually me playing some PS4 or talking to some old friends if we all happen to be online. I’ve been in contact with my dissertation supervisor from Manchester about turning my thesis into a paper. Usually if he’s sent me some notes or additional reading material, I try to read those before going to sleep at around 3am. So, as you can probably guess, I live a highly adventurous lifestyle.”
Favorites:
- Books: Lord of the Rings, above all else. He also reads biographies, memoirs, and books on the topic of international relations.
- TV shows: shows that tend to mix reality with fiction, to a certain extent, such as Manhunter and Narcos. He’s also a fan of Hannibal and The Wire and prefers movie classics such as North by Northwest, Casablanca, and Citizen Kane. It’s all based on what he’s in the mood for!
- Hobbies: reading, calligraphy, chess, poker, online baccarat
- Quote: Tolkien once said, “I will never walk backward in life.” Why this is so meaningful: It makes me think how futile regrets about the past are and how we only have the future to concern ourselves with.
- Gadget: Samsung Oculus VR set. “Nothing comes close to the experience of playing Skyrim or Tomb Raider in VR!”
- Color: Black, but sometimes blue depending on what I’m buying!
- Cuisine: Italian, above all else. Carbonara, risotto, and Amatriciana. “I appreciate how some of the best items in Italian cuisine can be prepared in 20 minutes or less if you know what you’re doing.”
Homescreen: not much to learn about him from here, eh…
When the pandemic is over, he’s headed to: Lemnos, one of the lesser-known Greek islands for peace and quiet. “It’s not frequented by tourists as much as some of the other popular Greek islands and it has a bit of medieval history too since it’s supposedly the island where Zeus used to banish gods he no longer wished to see at Mount Olympus such as Hephaestus.”
If he could be an animal, Yasir has chosen to be an insect—an ant, more specifically. “It might not have the physical presence that we commonly associate with powerful animals and yet its innate ability to work hard and not give up, come rain or shine, is something unmatched in the animal kingdom. Moreover, ants function well individually as well as in teams. I believe that’s the secret to having a successful life, being apt at working on your own or with a group.”
Fun Facts:
“I once got the chance to talk to Richard Branson. It was only a brief chat but I did ask him if he had only one question to ask potential hires, what would it be? And he replied, “Who’s your ideal dinner guest?”. He then said the answer to that question usually tells him everything he needs to know about what kind of a person they are and whether they’d fit in his company or not.”
“I used to do some freelance writing for a guy back in 2016 on IR and political science. It was my 2nd year of Bachelors. He gave me a project in October that I completed in around December. It was his PhD thesis on the effects of Brexit on Germany’s role in the EU. He ended up getting a postdoc position at Cambridge because of that thesis.”
So wait, Yasir…does this guy have your job?
PureVPN
November 24, 2022
1 year ago
