u/Certain_Head_9894

Background

I recently finished my internship and landed a data engineer offer in the Klang Valley area. After two months of unemployment and a tough job search, I was relieved to get something — until I read the fine print. What I initially thought was a permanent role turned out to be a 2.5-year contract (inclusive of a 6-month probation period), with no salary increment throughout, and a 3-month notice period. The base salary is RM3,000/month.

My concerns

- Salary stagnation: RM3k for the full 2.5 years with zero increment. Others with the same experience length may be earning significantly more by then.

- Market positioning: I believe RM3k is already on the lower end for fresh grad data engineers in KL. Starting low may anchor future offers even lower.

- Jumping ship difficulty: A 3-month notice period makes it harder to take up new offers mid-contract — most companies won't wait that long.

- Overthinking the future: I know I need experience, and 1–2 years here would build my foundation. But I can't help worrying about where I'll stand after 2.5 years compared to peers.

What I'm asking

I'm genuinely grateful for the offer — I know the job market right now is brutal for fresh grads. I'm planning to use this time to build a solid foundation in data engineering and jump to a better role with real experience behind me. But I'd love honest takes from people who've been in similar situations:

Is RM3k acceptable for a fresh grad data engineer in KL right now? How much does a stagnant salary during your early years actually affect your long-term trajectory? And with a 3-month notice clause — if a better offer comes along, is it reasonable to negotiate or break it early?

Any advice and opinions are really appreciated. 🙏

Edit: I'm not sure whether it's really a probation role since it mentioned that there's a performance evaluation after a few months. Sorry for the confusion if it's sth different 🙏

Background

I recently finished my internship and landed a data engineer offer in the Klang Valley area. After two months of unemployment and a tough job search, I was relieved to get something — until I read the fine print. What I initially thought was a permanent role turned out to be a 2.5-year contract (inclusive of a 6-month probation period), with no salary increment throughout, and a 3-month notice period. The base salary is RM3,000/month.

My concerns

- Salary stagnation: RM3k for the full 2.5 years with zero increment. Others with the same experience length may be earning significantly more by then.

- Market positioning: I believe RM3k is already on the lower end for fresh grad data engineers in KL. Starting low may anchor future offers even lower.

- Jumping ship difficulty: A 3-month notice period makes it harder to take up new offers mid-contract — most companies won't wait that long.

- Overthinking the future: I know I need experience, and 1–2 years here would build my foundation. But I can't help worrying about where I'll stand after 2.5 years compared to peers.

What I'm asking

I'm genuinely grateful for the offer — I know the job market right now is brutal for fresh grads. I'm planning to use this time to build a solid foundation in data engineering and jump to a better role with real experience behind me. But I'd love honest takes from people who've been in similar situations:

Is RM3k acceptable for a fresh grad data engineer in KL right now? How much does a stagnant salary during your early years actually affect your long-term trajectory? And with a 3-month notice clause — if a better offer comes along, is it reasonable to negotiate or break it early?

Any advice and opinions are really appreciated. 🙏

Edit: I'm not sure whether it's really a probation role since it mentioned that there's a performance evaluation after a few months. Sorry for the confusion if it's sth different 🙏

Hello, I'm a fresh graduate and got a job offer for a data engineer position with a salary of RM3k somewhere around klang valley. I have concerns about my growth and career progression in the future. I've been unemployed for two months and got this offer where i thought it was a permanent position. Turns out it was a contract for almost 2.5 years included with 6 months of probation. Another thing is there's no increment. I'm aware of the current tough job market situation for fresh grads and I don't have proven experience but I can't help but overthink in the future. In addition I think my base salary is lower compared to the current market. Of course i had the idea to stay for 1 or 2 years to strengthen my foundation in my expertise and was planning to jump maybe after having enough experience but in the contract term have 3 months of notice. I'm grateful for the job offer but I can't help but think of other salary progression until at the end of my contract. I will be stuck in RM3k for around 2.5 years while others may have higher base salary and incremental after the same time period. Maybe for the next position i would get offered a little less since until the end my salary stayed RM3k. There's just a lot of what if and else to my future. Can anyone share their thoughts, opinions and ideas to me? It would be helpful and thanks for hearing me out