This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Nerine Mak, a 33-year-old former senior commercial counsel for TikTok who's traveling the world on a motorbike. It has been edited for length and clarity

I'm the eldest of five children. Our house was full of sibling squabbles, lots of negotiation, and mediation, which is probably why I joined the school debating team. A legal degree was a natural progression.

I moved to Australia for college, then returned to Singapore, where I began working as a legal counsel at Ernst & Young in April 2017.

Eighteen months later, I became the regional legal counsel for Sephora. I'd only been there for nine months when, in July 2019, a TikTok recruiter approached me.

I stayed at TikTok until I turned 30, when I quit to travel the world on a motorbike.