How I went from RM3,500 to RM9,000 in 3 years without a postgrad degree
by Darren Loh·February 26, 2026
Not a brag post — just want to share the actual moves I made since a lot of people ask me this.
2022: Fresh grad, backend dev role at a mid-size company. RM3,500.
Move 1: Got an AWS certification (paid for myself, RM400). Used that to negotiate a RM4,200 salary at a startup 8 months later. Employer countered and I still moved.
Move 2: Built two side projects that solved real problems. Put them on GitHub and wrote about them on LinkedIn. Got directly headhunted by an MNC.
Move 3: At the MNC, asked about budget every performance review. Got RM5,800 at year end. Stayed another year.
Move 4: Got an offer elsewhere at RM8,500. Used it as leverage. Current company matched to RM9,000 and gave me a senior title.
Key lesson: your biggest salary jumps come from moving companies or internal offers with external competition. Waiting for annual increments alone is painfully slow.