Anonymous career talk from Malaysian job seekers — salary, interviews, company culture, WFH and more.
Audited my subscriptions last year and made some cuts. Here's what I replaced and with what. Replaced Notion (RM40/month) → Obsidian (free) + Logseq (free) For personal knowledge management, open source is genuinely bet…
We're a team of 6 engineers at a Malaysian fintech. Here's what our CI/CD setup looks like after two years of iteration. What we use: - GitHub Actions for CI (free tier covers most of our needs) - Docker for containeris…
Applied to both, accepted Capital Markets. Here's my experience and what I heard from a friend in Retail. Capital Markets (my experience): - Exposure to deals, pitchbooks, financial modelling - Fast-paced and sometimes…
Not everyone gets converted. Here's what I did differently from the interns who didn't. Treated it like a 3-month audition. Every day I was asking: what would a full-time hire do here? I proactively asked for more work…
Made this decision 4 times in 10 years and gotten it right 3 of 4. Here's what I've learned. Strong signals to stay: - You're learning at a rate you can't replicate elsewhere at your current level - There's a credible p…
Been asked this enough times that I built a decision framework. Not advocating either way. Questions to answer first: 1. What's your primary goal? (Financial, career, experience, family, lifestyle) 2. What's your 10-yea…
Got promoted to Head of Product at 31. Spent the first 4 months convinced someone was about to discover I had no idea what I was doing. What made it worse: Comparing my internal experience (doubt, uncertainty) to other…
She gave no feedback, took credit for my work in team meetings, and responded to questions with visible impatience. What I did: Documented everything. Every task I was given, every piece of work I submitted. Not out of…
I genuinely didn't understand what I was entitled to until I went through a job loss last year. Sharing what I learned the hard way. SOCSO (PERKESO): - Employment Injury Scheme: covers accidents at work and occupational…
The "business professional" vs "business casual" ambiguity is real. Here's a practical guide by sector. Banking, finance, legal, accounting: Business formal. Men: suit or blazer + tie. Women: suit, formal dress, or coor…
After three incidents where bad internet cost me important calls, I took this seriously. Sharing what I found. ISPs for home WFH (based on KL/PJ/Selangor experience): - Unifi (TM): most widely available, generally relia…
I've had 7 managers in 8 years of working. Two were genuinely great. The rest ranged from mediocre to actively harmful. What made the two great ones stand out had nothing to do with seniority or technical skill. Both of…
Two years ago I would have laughed at myself. The startup had ping pong tables, free snacks, and a rooftop. The GLC has beige carpets and a strict dress code. Here's what changed my mind: at the startup, I was constantl…
Company wanted 4 days in office. I wanted 2. Here's how we landed at 3 and how I plan to get to 2. What didn't work: "I'm more productive at home." Everyone says this and it's not persuasive without data. What worked:…
Bank interviews in Malaysia are different from tech company interviews. After going through processes at 3 banks this year, here's what to prepare. Technical areas most tested: - Excel (yes, still very relevant, vlookup…
Final round, four interviewers, went well, they said "we'll be in touch by Friday." Friday came and went. Then another week. Then silence. What I did: Sent a polite follow-up on the following Monday referencing my conve…
The most common salary research mistake I see: asking friends what they make and using that as a reference point. The problem: your friend joined their company 3 years ago at market rate for that time. They've gotten in…
People underestimate non-salary benefits when comparing offers. Here's the math. Typical allowance package at a mid-size Malaysian company: - Transport: RM300/month (some reimburse petrol, others give fixed) - Phone: RM…
Left a traditional office role for a fully remote company. Six months in, here's what I'd tell myself on day one. The productivity adjustment is real, but not the direction you expect. I became more productive, not less…
Managing how you get paid matters more than most freelancers realise. Here's what I've found. For local Malaysian clients: - Bank transfer (FPX) is simplest, zero fees, instant, familiar to everyone - Invoice with your…
Share your experience working at Malaysian companies
Salary transparency, negotiation tips, and benefits talk
Interview questions, experiences, and advice
Work from home, hybrid setups, and remote culture
Internship stories, tips, and company reviews
Career growth, industry switches, and general advice
Anything else work-life related
Tool reviews, productivity tips, and tech stack chat
Burnout, boundaries, and looking after yourself at work
Courses, certifications, and learning paths that pay off
Applications, job search strategy, and offer decisions
Freelancing, side income, and going independent