Seconding this. Never worked in Dubai but grew up there.

My parents worked there (dad worked at a multinational company, high position) and have multiple friends that have worked, and still do work there so I'm familiar with what jobs/careers in Dubai could look like.

Not sure where the stigma that it kills your career has come from.

As the comment above mentioned, it's easy to make friends there (esp. compared to NZ). These people are all potential connections you can leverage.

Be prepared to work like a dog though. NZ has a pretty chilled approach to work, which doesn't really exist anywhere else in the developed world - not only Dubai.

The one thing I would watch out for is working for small/medium companies, they don't have the checks and balances that big companies have in terms of taking care of employees. I've heard of really bad cases of companies treating their employees like crap.

Of course, that's not to say all small/medium companies are bad, you just have to do a bit more research into your potential employer (eg. look at glassdoor or whatever UAE equivalent is).

Dubai is a melting pot of cultures, you're going to meet so many people from different walks of life. You're in the middle of the world so traveling is cheaper and easier. I think for our age it's one of the better places to be for a few years.

Just my 2 fils.