Hi guys, here's a quick summary about myself:

Around October 2022, I got a job as online customer support and I've been working for this company ever since then until now, which is almost 3 years now.

It's a work from home job, and I'm getting tired of working alone at home.

I graduated with a banking degree in 2018, basically in between 2018-2022, I was hopping in between jobs.


Here are the 3 options I am looking at:

1) Data Analyst
2) Data Scientist
3) Backend developer


I am 30 now, and I wonder will my age affects my employability in Malaysian market, and realistically speaking, how realistic is it for me to learn the skills required so that I could be good enough & employable to be either one of the 3 options above in between 3 to 6 months?

you worked 7 years only? means you graduated at age 23yo?

why so delay?

I think the earlier you change career the better. 30yo, maybe a bit late bit still ok. I have known people at 37yo changed career.

Uni 4 years, and extended a year.

There's also some personal issues as well.

Yes I want to change, but I don't know how, desperately needed guidance

if you dont have good foundation in maths, coding, and analytical mind...
then you can forget about that 2 options...

i suggest you go study more about what it takes to do those roles...

analyst maybe still can as a junior and work yourself up to the other 2 levels..

your degree is 5 years?

banking degree so long one?

if you so eager to change role mind as well aim to migrate and work overseas.

your young age will suit you.

maybe you can consider to take up studies in germany or sweden at one of their free universities and study their language, then migrate there.

My degree is 4 years, but I failed a semester, which then has to be extended for another year.

Yeah I would like to, but I don't have a proper guidance as what exact steps do I need to take to get there.

How much is your salary now? For #3, if u don't have any software engineering working experience, likely u will only receive entry level pay if u are hired.
Without a proper IT cert u would need to be able to demonstrate your kill by having your own portfolio, like a github profile or application/website build by you showcase yourself.

Around 2k+.

That will take too much time, I think for now I'll just do it as hobby.

Even people with CS degrees have a hard time looking for a job, let alone me.

If you failed one whole semester, best is to change your degree

I know a friend who failed his 2 whole semester doing accountancy, switched to Marketing.

Today he is a VP marketing driving mercedes benz

Haha I think I'm 7 years too late for that, can't I just find a marketing related job instead?

sometimes its best to stick to your field.

You first need to analyzed yourself.

What's your interest? Do you like to stay at office job, or go out office interact with clients type of job?

Also, what's your personality type? Such as introvert/extrovert. Risk taker/risk averse. etc

Cause accountancy/IT jobs is mostly technical stay at desk while sales & marketing requires you to go out to mingle with clients most of the time.

Don't just try to aim for salary only. You first need build your resume up according to your interest & personality so you can be a better fit for your desired job. We will all be working most of our lives anyway, so working in a job that suits your personality often helps you cope better at work.

Good thing about your banking degree is, you can easily jump over into other fields like marketing, sales etc as that is mostly things you can learn hands-on as long you have the personality and interest. There are many such roles vacancy as long as you can perform under pressure. If you prefer to stick to your major, then aim for accounts assistant role for the start.

What's your current knowledge level and experience on these jobs currently?
if you are starting from zero.... i suggest start from Data Analyst first

no.3 i don't recommend unless you are fresh grad and young - its a competitive market out there..
no.2 is not a "fresh grad" level job too...

My interest is in computers/tech, but I don't think I wanna do it as a living.

I used to think working in tech is fun, but the hours you have to put in to work everyday in a cubicle kind of makes me lose interest.

Personality type wise, I think I'm more on the spectrum, cannot say I'm fully introverted or extroverted, which is something I just found out myself recently. First occasion, is when a stranger hit me up in the bus to talk, I can't imagine myself carrying the conversation back and forth for an hour without feeling pressure. Second instance is when I hung out with this stranger I met online, when I first met her, first few minutes of anxiety kick in, but then same thing, after a while, I managed to calm down and carried the conversation.

I am not sure if I would behave this way at work with customers tho.

Tried telesales for 3 months when I was 26 years old, I was anxious all the time but only because the thought of people hearing my voice and being recorded made me feel that way, managed to close a few sales but I can firmly say I hate sales.

Then it comes down to marketing, I have always been juggling around the idea of event marketing, being to work in a team and go places sound fun, if I can be based on different countries would be even better, don't mind working my ass off, just extremely worried about my communication skills and anxiety level.

Every other jobs requires you to put in lots of hours at work especially if you want to succeed and climb up the corporate ladder. Unless you're the genius type like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs, most of us just worked hard at our chosen job and climb our way upwards.

For sales and marketing, you're required to be spontaneous and be highly engaging. The money you get is good especially if you can hit the sales target every month. And depending on the company you're in, you might need to travel a lot around Malaysia to source potential clients for the company. You also need to work a lot of out of normal office hours which is similar in style like Grab drivers, in order to pull in sales.

Jobs like these fits those who feel recharged when mingling with others. But if you finds yourselves the type to be drained out after a party, then you might opt for jobs that less social and more indoorsy type.

An accountant assistant job is mostly handling day to day accounting tasks, such as processing invoices and expense requests and recording and filing cash transactions. You'll also be getting administrative tasks such as emailing, printing, filing, and running errands for the boss. It's a pretty mundane job that is repeated each month, so you don't get much variation at work. Pay is average to medium high depending on your negotiation skills during the interview. Overall, it's a stable job, with stable working hours at start.

If you have anxiety in communication then Marketing is not for you.

In that line of work, a lot of communication with external agencies and even the media is required. You'll need to attend events and network. Walking up to a stranger in an event to say Hi, and introduce yourself from xyz company is part of the necessity for you to gather more connection and know more about what's happening in the industry. Curiosity is a necessity in one's character. And extroverts thrive in this line.

To addon to your concern, is that Marketers have to do A LOT of presentation. Marketing department generally "sell" to company's management on where they're going to spend money, how, and why is the spending justifiable. It's tough because management scrutinize spending and when projects don't go well, be expected to be answerable for it.

Lastly... if you hate Sales, you cannot do Marketing. Why? Because both are linked together, hence people call it "S&M Department = Sales & Marketing Department". Marketing is the supporting role of Sales. And you can't do your job well if you don't understand how the selling works, and you can't do your role if you don't understand your customers/ audience.

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Event - what you mentioned isn't exactly Marketing. Event is event. And event is only a minor component in the entirety of the marketing field. Understand a bit more about Event before jumping into the line because I'm worried your impression for the industry seems to be way too... illusionary good.

There's high pressure in that industry because you're required to solve a lot of problems. If something is missing, you might need to run around to find/ buy the item. In the case of shopping mall setup, commonly you can only start setting up after 10 or 10.30pm and they setup the entire night till 2-3am, sometimes even up till 6am, depending on the complexity of the layout/ structures. If there are back-to-back events, then this mean you'll be deprived of a lot of sleep, and event people tell me they barely feel human sometimes.

Not scaring you, but merely trying to manage your expectation of what you see as a 'fun, camaraderie' industry, which isn't just all play and sunshine. Only tough people last in that line, and managing clients are the hardest of all because they can be demanding, pushy and fickle-minded. Last but not least, it's hard to climb in this line because the organization type is rather flat (and lacking corporate structure). So if this is really what you want and ready to face it, then consider trying it.

FYR one more thing... it's not common for event to travel overseas for setup. There are some, but it's rare because it's usually too costly to fly all the structures, set and crew overseas. Its possible for small-scale exhibition to make rounds in different countries.

Otherwise, companies usually engage local agency for local event. Example, if SK-II going to have a regional roadshow, they will likely get an agency in Malaysia to do the local setup, and an agency in Thailand to perform the setup in Thailand. Doesn't make sense to mobilize the entire MY crew and pay for flight, accommodation, meals etc for these people, unless they have a lot of extra budget to burn or due to specific requirement/ reason.

If i were you, I'd take the opportunity to further studies in a postgraduate or professional course

that's the benefit of work from home. You have already saved time on commuting time and borak2 time with colleagues. Use it for study purpose instead.

Then only move away to another job with the new higher qualification.