When I left Malaysia; I was @RM12k (which was actually very low for my area of expertise) or so and was 33. After 3 years; i'm earning (in conversion) of almost 2x (on average) more. Apart from rental (which is a bomb here) though, my expenses are actually less than when I was in Malaysia. In IT field, doing support somemore... Probably helps that I love my job.

Europe; not the glamorous countries though; but it's still a very nice place.

To be honest; because I had a great boss (or ex-boss now). It was an internal transfer and he made sure I got a much better package than what I had in Malaysia. He transferred me because he didn't want me to kill myself from overload of work (I was working 12-16 hours daily due to timezones). Before moving; I had 2 promotions in 4 years, no mean feat considering I work in support.

Proves you can do reasonably well without having to jump ship. But I've been very blessed generally in the past 8 years or so. And I'm rather close to the business customers, so they flatter me a lot of times with kind words to my bosses.

Well; together with the great boss, I also had bad/mediocre/no comments bosses during those initial 4 years before Europe. So; it's not all smooth sailing. But I also prospered (reasonably) under those circumstances. And trust me, timezones matter. I used to do permanent night shifts for 2 years in a row, not fun. I still work average 12-hour days easy now in EU, it's just that working at 8AM-8PM (or even 12AM) is very much different from working 1PM - 3/4/5AM (as i used to do in Malaysia).

And no; it's not industry-dependent. I work in IT support, which many regard (and not always wrongly) as the dead-end of any IT career. Which is funny because the people whom were my seniors in consulting/PM departments when I joined; are same level or junior to me now. So; at the end of the day, all that matters is what you do.

Also, bosses do matter; but not as much as thought. It's actually your customers whom matter the most because no matter what your bosses say; if your customers back/support you, your boss can't do much also. For example, no matter how bad your boss is (and I've had some bad ones); if your customer says "I won't give you any business unless you do this for xyz (you)", what can your boss say?

That has pretty much been the sum of how I have worked; do your best for your customers. Not trying to brag (I don't think I'm anything special honestly); just sharing my experience, for what it's worth.

JobTitle : Marketing coordinator
Years spent in company : 2years
Industry : IT manufacturing solutions (small Japanese MNC)
Tenure : Permanent
Employment Level : executive
Experience before joining : 1 year + part time admin
Highest paper qualification/ education : degree in business management
salary : RM 2650
Location: KL
Benefits: 18 days AL, MC, Insurance, parking, trip, small gratuity payment

soon will resign change to bank and insurance industry at a agency MNC (Japanese) ,
job title: bancassurance executive
Location: KL
starting RM 2900
benefit same as above.

am my pay reasonable or underpay?

Job Title : AM
Years spent in company : 1 year 8mths
Company : MNC
Industry : Financial
Employment Level : AM
Experience before joining : 0
Age: 28
Highest paper qualification/ education background :Master Degree in Finance
Monthly Salary : RM3.9k
Location: KL

Took some time following my own passions in studying..when finished dun felt like becoming lecturer so apply work in current company.

His 4 years of experience (MYR 7000)  vs my 1 year of experience (MYR 4000)

How am i doing?

I see

So, in which industry do you work?

i guess the pay range for people who work in IB (Corporate Finance) is really high as per what you mention bro.

I beg to differ. It is not. We have this period called "off-peak" when there are not many engagements available but too many idle staff. It is better for the company to let you clear your leaves during such period, rather than allowing you to go off during the peak.

Plus in my opinion, my life don't just revolve around my career. I want sufficient time to slow down and see the world. We had been working consistently through the nights, at times even until 3-4am (and I'm not exaggerating), I think we deserve the long break.

But of course, things are different when you slowly climb up the ladder until when you're an audit manager - which it is more difficult to get a long leave due to clients commitment.

Job Title : Event & Marketing
Job Desciption : Mostly office bound work. Design, seek approval, deal with multiple department like legal, finance, etc.
Years spent in company : 1 Year+
Age : 30
Industry : Retail
Tenure : Permanent
Employment Level : Executive
Experience before joining : 3 years
Highest paper qualification/ education background : degree in Psychology / Mass Comm
salary : Close to RM4000 with 1 month bonus
Location: Selangor

I am currently looking out, to seek for higher position, AM or M for my next job. But it is quite hard to find the position I wanted as I think many people still waiting for their bonus before moving to next job.

What are my options? Want to try to request 20% raise on my current paycheck from my current. Any comment?

late bloomer. didn't really find the importance of studies that time.

Yeah, thinking of taking up some courses to brush up my resume to add more value to my skillsets. Thinking to pick up languages since that's the easiest and cheapest alternative options compare to digital marketing and stuff.

Yes trying to find courses to take but E-marketing is so darn expensive! Can't really afford it.

So at worst age 35 need to be manager and earn rm10k for normal ppl?

What is the right percentage of salary increment that would make us jump the ship ??

If you're confident with your market value. It shouldn't even be percentage based.

Just let your future employer name the first number and negotiate from there.

And if it turns out to be something you don't want, you can always say no.

Why bother with 35%? Break free from that HR crap. Ask for what you want. Try, lets say 8k

- They already know you can do the task
- They know they can trust you
- Hiring process is tedious and sucks for company. It cost money, time and morale. 1/10 not reccommended

Stop thinking company behave like you and me. 2k for us is better car and house. 2k for company is that 1 time your director eat out at upscale restaurant. Or that new state-of-the-art coffee machine that nobody know how to use.

1. "But I don't want to be an opportunist. They're my friend"
You're gambling your future in new company. Why bother joining if its not worth it. If they made it, bravo, but you're unlikely to get anything fat. If they don't make it, you're farked too.

2. "But that salary is too much for my age. I'll be doing the same thing as now"
How do you think people got 20k salary? Wait for latuk generous offer? No, they asked for it.
As for the type of work, I think there misconception. I'm paid quite decent amount now, doing the same thing I'm doing when I was paid 2k/month. Lots of others can resonate too.

Take a chance. Overconfident is bad. But not knowing your self worth is even worse.

I hope you've read this http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation

Dear all,

May i know what's the asking rate for an Investment banker, AM role in local malaysia bank.

Having 6-7 years working exp.
Role: Corporate finance.