I am currently doing my PhD in UTM, having jumped from my bachelors. All I can say TS, is that I do not recommend it for the following reasons:

1. You're not interested in joining the education line. To me, this is the main reason most people do their PhDs, and if that's not your goal, there's no point in doing it. Given that by the time you complete your PhD and move into the working world, you will be drawing a salary similar to that if you had worked for the last 3 years. Which leads me to point number...

2. The 3 years PhD is a rarity, especially if you wish to jump from your bachelors. Can it be completed in 3 years? Of course, but I would doubt the quality of the work produced. In fact, most institutions do. Note that although direct-PhD programs are offered to all first class bachelors students, no university in Malaysia offers the same program to their tutors. The reason behind this is that they prefer those who have done their Masters by coursework, followed by their PhD by research. This was what I was told during my interview, and they even offered to sponsor my Masters if I agreed to quit my PhD. To top it all off, most of the good lecturers (who you would definitely want to supervise you), disagree with the direct PhD program, some of them insisting that you do a 5-year course (effectively a Masters + PhD, but the Masters dissertation is not required to be submitted).

3. In the industry, a PhD is only useful if results of your research can be utilized in the company you plan to work at. Without having worked before, how much can you possibly know about problems that the industry is facing? Literature can only get you so far. It's best to work a little while before jumping on the research bandwagon to ensure that you get a good sense of the type of project you have to work on during your study.


Be true to your heart, choose wisely, and have no regrets. I wish you the best of luck.

Mind telling me which uni you're at?