For context, I have been working in the IT industry for over 6 years. I initially chose this path because I found genuine fulfillment in showing people how technology can help their daily lives, which eventually led me to my current role as a Business Analyst (BA).

Recently, however, I’ve felt completely burnt out and uncertain about my career direction. Below is a breakdown of my career history and the challenges I've faced. I would really appreciate advice from senior professionals who have been in the industry for a long time.

Career History

1st Job (2.5 years) – Small ERP Solution Provider

• Role/Scope: Started as a fresh graduate, learned the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), managed L1 and L2 support tickets, handled inbound/outbound calls, and gained exposure to implementing their proprietary ERP system.
• Why I Left: While the environment and colleagues were fine, management was disorganized. They frequently assigned fresh grads to handle client-facing issues without providing context, forcing me to handle escalations beyond my job scope. I left because I wanted to work in a company with a proper corporate structure and clear task delegation.

2nd Job (1 year) – MNC Manufacturing Company

• Role/Scope: Joined to gain exposure to an MNC and work with well-known systems to strengthen my resume. I was expected to assist with their migration from SAP to Oracle, but my primary focus ended up being data migration. I enjoyed this because I like writing SQL queries and transforming data to meet requirements.
• Why I Left: I realized the city was not somewhere I wanted to live long-term, and I felt my learning trajectory had plateaued. After passing my JLPT N2 exam, I was offered an opportunity at a well-known consulting/BPO firm.

3rd Job (3 years, Current) – Global Consulting / BPO Firm

• Initial Expectation: Hired to assist their Japan market team with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) F&O implementations, but the firm failed to secure the project after I joined.
• The Struggles:
  • I spent 6 months on the bench while they tried to hold me for the client.
  • Eventually, I was placed on an Australian D365 Finance project, but I was only assigned administrative ADO/Jira ticket updates because they were hesitant to delegate core responsibilities to offshore team members.
  • Knowing how critical chargeability is in consulting and feeling this wasn't real BA work, I proactively requested to transfer to active projects.
  • Since then, I’ve spent 1.5 years on a Government-Linked Company (GLC) project and a D365 CRM banking implementation. However, because I joined during the build and testing stages, I missed out on leading core requirements gathering.
• Compensation & Growth: Despite receiving strong performance appraisals from my Functional Lead, I have received a <2% increment and no promotion in 3 years. When I confronted my manager, his excuse was that he couldn't even fight for himself, let alone me, and advised me to figure out a specialization rather than jumping between domains.

My Current Dilemma & Questions

1. Am I in the wrong industry? After everything I’ve been through, I still feel zero job satisfaction. How do experienced professionals handle these setbacks? Given the corporate friction and unsupportive management, I can't imagine climbing the corporate ladder here. Is this lack of fulfillment normal, or a sign I should pivot out of IT consulting?
2. What should I specialize in for long-term career growth? I want to switch companies, but recruiters tell me my background is too diverse (jumping across ERP, Oracle data migration, D365 CRM, Finance, and Banking) to push for higher positions or higher salary bands. Every project has its own set of problems, but based on my experience—SQL/data mapping, D365 ERP/CRM implementations, Japanese language skills (JLPT N2), and support/BA work—what specific domain or technology stack should I target to build a strong, high-growth specialization?
3. Vendor vs. In-House vs. Market Dynamics: The reason I’m asking about specialization and direction is that I’m considering either hopping to another vendor or moving to an in-house IT team.
   • Both paths require deep product or domain knowledge, which is where I feel stuck.
   • Banking environments can be super high-pressure, so I'm hesitant to jump into that sector full-time.
   • Going to another vendor might just mean repeating the same operational issues I’m facing now.
   • In-house IT roles expect solid domain expertise that I feel I still lack.
   • To make matters worse, most of the job offers popping up in my inbox lately are contract roles.

Given these constraints, what would be the best strategic next move for someone in my position?

For context, I have been working in the IT industry for over 6 years. I initially chose this path because I found genuine fulfillment in showing people how technology can help their daily lives, which eventually led me to my current role as a Business Analyst (BA).

Recently, however, I’ve felt completely burnt out and uncertain about my career direction. Below is a breakdown of my career history and the challenges I've faced. I would really appreciate advice from senior professionals who have been in the industry for a long time.

Career History

1st Job (2.5 years) – Small ERP Solution Provider

• Role/Scope: Started as a fresh graduate, learned the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), managed L1 and L2 support tickets, handled inbound/outbound calls, and gained exposure to implementing their proprietary ERP system.
• Why I Left: While the environment and colleagues were fine, management was disorganized. They frequently assigned fresh grads to handle client-facing issues without providing context, forcing me to handle escalations beyond my job scope. I left because I wanted to work in a company with a proper corporate structure and clear task delegation.

2nd Job (1 year) – MNC Manufacturing Company

• Role/Scope: Joined to gain exposure to an MNC and work with well-known systems to strengthen my resume. I was expected to assist with their migration from SAP to Oracle, but my primary focus ended up being data migration. I enjoyed this because I like writing SQL queries and transforming data to meet requirements.
• Why I Left: I realized the city was not somewhere I wanted to live long-term, and I felt my learning trajectory had plateaued. After passing my JLPT N2 exam, I was offered an opportunity at a well-known consulting/BPO firm.

3rd Job (3 years, Current) – Global Consulting / BPO Firm

• Initial Expectation: Hired to assist their Japan market team with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) F&O implementations, but the firm failed to secure the project after I joined.
• The Struggles:
  • I spent 6 months on the bench while they tried to hold me for the client.
  • Eventually, I was placed on an Australian D365 Finance project, but I was only assigned administrative ADO/Jira ticket updates because they were hesitant to delegate core responsibilities to offshore team members.
  • Knowing how critical chargeability is in consulting and feeling this wasn't real BA work, I proactively requested to transfer to active projects.
  • Since then, I’ve spent 1.5 years on a Government-Linked Company (GLC) project and a D365 CRM banking implementation. However, because I joined during the build and testing stages, I missed out on leading core requirements gathering.
• Compensation & Growth: Despite receiving strong performance appraisals from my Functional Lead, I have received a <2% increment and no promotion in 3 years. When I confronted my manager, his excuse was that he couldn't even fight for himself, let alone me, and advised me to figure out a specialization rather than jumping between domains.

My Current Dilemma & Questions

1. Am I in the wrong industry? After everything I’ve been through, I still feel zero job satisfaction. How do experienced professionals handle these setbacks? Given the corporate friction and unsupportive management, I can't imagine climbing the corporate ladder here. Is this lack of fulfillment normal, or a sign I should pivot out of IT consulting?
2. What should I specialize in for long-term career growth? I want to switch companies, but recruiters tell me my background is too diverse (jumping across ERP, Oracle data migration, D365 CRM, Finance, and Banking) to push for higher positions or higher salary bands. Every project has its own set of problems, but based on my experience—SQL/data mapping, D365 ERP/CRM implementations, Japanese language skills (JLPT N2), and support/BA work—what specific domain or technology stack should I target to build a strong, high-growth specialization?
3. Vendor vs. In-House vs. Market Dynamics: The reason I’m asking about specialization and direction is that I’m considering either hopping to another vendor or moving to an in-house IT team.
   • Both paths require deep product or domain knowledge, which is where I feel stuck.
   • Banking environments can be super high-pressure, so I'm hesitant to jump into that sector full-time.
   • Going to another vendor might just mean repeating the same operational issues I’m facing now.
   • In-house IT roles expect solid domain expertise that I feel I still lack.
   • To make matters worse, most of the job offers popping up in my inbox lately are contract roles.

Given these constraints, what would be the best strategic next move for someone in my position?

For context, I have been working in the IT industry for over 6 years. I initially chose this path because I found genuine fulfillment in showing people how technology can help their daily lives, which eventually led me to my current role as a Business Analyst (BA).

Recently, however, I’ve felt completely burnt out and uncertain about my career direction. Below is a breakdown of my career history and the challenges I've faced. I would really appreciate advice from senior professionals who have been in the industry for a long time.

Career History

• 1st Job (2.5 years) – Small ERP Solution Provider (KL):
  • Role/Scope: Started as a fresh graduate, learned the software development lifecycle (SDLC), managed L1 and L2 support tickets, handled inbound/outbound calls, and gained exposure to implementing their proprietary ERP system.
  • Why I Left: While the environment and colleagues were fine, management was disorganized. They frequently assigned fresh grads to handle client-facing issues without providing context, forcing me to handle escalations beyond my job scope. I left because I wanted to work in a company with a proper corporate structure and clear task delegation.
• 2nd Job (1 year) – MNC Manufacturing Company (Kulim):
  • Role/Scope: Joined to gain exposure to an MNC and work with well-known systems to strengthen my resume. I was expected to assist with their migration from SAP to Oracle, but my primary focus ended up being data migration. I enjoyed this because I like writing SQL queries and transforming data to meet requirements.
  • Why I Left: I realized Kulim was not somewhere I wanted to live long-term, and I felt the learning trajectory had plateaued. After passing my JLPT N2 exam, I was offered an opportunity at a well-known consulting/BPO firm starting with the letter A.
• 3rd Job (3 years, Current) – Global Consulting / BPO Firm:
  • Initial Expectation: Hired to assist their Japan market team with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D365) F&O implementations, but the firm failed to secure the project after I joined.
  • The Struggles:
    • I spent 6 months on the bench while they tried to hold me for the client.
    • Eventually, I was placed on an Australian D365 Finance project, but I was only assigned administrative ADO/Jira ticket updates because they were hesitant to delegate core responsibilities to offshore team members.
    • Knowing how critical chargeability is in consulting and feeling this wasn't real BA work, I proactively requested to transfer to active projects.
    • Since then, I’ve spent 1.5 years on a Government-Linked Company (GLC) project and a D365 CRM banking implementation. However, because I joined during the build and testing stages, I missed out on leading core requirements gathering.
    • Compensation & Growth: Despite receiving strong performance appraisals from my Functional Lead, I have received a <2% increment and no promotion in 3 years. My current compensation is roughly RM 7.7k (including allowances/claims)M. When I confronted my manager, his excuse was that he couldn't even fight for himself, let alone me, and advised me to figure out a specialization rather than jumping between domains.

My Current Dilemma & Questions

1. Am I in the wrong industry? After everything I’ve been through, I still feel zero job satisfaction. How do experienced professionals handle these setbacks? Given the corporate friction and unsupportive management, I can't imagine climbing the corporate ladder here. Is this lack of fulfillment normal, or a sign I should pivot out of IT consulting?
2. What should I specialize in for long-term career growth? I want to switch companies, but recruiters tell me my background is too diverse (jumping across ERP, Oracle data migration, D365 CRM, Finance, and Banking) to push for higher positions or salary bands. Every project has its own set of problems, but based on my experience—SQL/data mapping, D365 ERP/CRM implementations, Japanese language skills (JLPT N2), and support/BA work—what specific domain or technology stack should I target to build a strong, high-growth specialization?