Haw Xiao Ying

Name: Haw Xiao Ying
Nationality: Malaysia
Current Role: Full Stack Developer at Hong Leong Bank Berhad

Why did you choose to study [your degree/area of study]?

2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day. Data scientists are the ones who collect, cleanse and organize the data in order to extract insights and predict the future from those gigantic data. Nowadays, companies from almost every fields are hiring data scientist to help them to make better decision. Therefore, data science is flourishing and that’s why I’m here.

Why did you choose to study at Monash, and has it met your expectations so far?

What attracts me is that Monash University has a list of exchange partners and we are able to study abroad by paying our regular tuition fees. Unfortunately, I’m unable to have that experience due to covid-19 but I’m sure that the situation will get better soon and future students are able to study abroad that time.

While at Monash, what type of opportunities did you participate in? (E.g. student exchange, clubs and societies, field trips, conferences, competitions, etc.)

Monash once organized a hackathon, “Monash Hackathon 2019”, with prizes up to RM6000. Besides having a chance to win a prize, we also had the chance to network with our mentors and judges during the event. During online classes, student association of School of IT also organized a typical competitive coding challenge, Monash Coding League.

While at Monash, did you go for any internships or work placements? If so, where? And did the experience help you in terms of career preparation/what have you learned?

It is a requirement for Bachelor of Computer Science students to go for an internship. This will not only help us to get an idea of how our studies is related to the real world, we can also ensure that there is a job opportunity for us after we graduated if we gave the company a good impression. I worked as an intern in TNG Digital, which is the company that develops the Touch ‘n Go eWallet app. Everything that I had learned in Monash is appliable in the workplace. As an IT student, most of us will think that programming skill is the only skill we need to enhance for us to find a job and you’ll realise that it is not true after you start working. One thing that I’m glad about is that there are core units that help us to develop on our soft skills such as communication skill, leadership and more. This truly helped me a lot.

What do you like most about your student life at Monash? 

Monash is located at Sunway City and this is such a superior geographical location where we can easily find finger-licking good cuisine. Besides that, having fun and relax in the student lounge with my friends after a hectic week is just heaven.

What is your biggest career goal, or what is the difference you’d like to make?

I would like to gain more experience and learn more things in a start-up company after I graduated. After improving my network skills and become more proactive, I would like to expertise in the field which I am interested in.