Thung Hui Ling

Course: Bachelor of Computer Science, 2018
Nationality: Malaysian
Current role: Software Engineer, StashAway

Why did you choose Monash?

As one of the top-ranked universities in the world, I knew that Monash is internationally recognised and would provide me with a conducive environment to enhance my knowledge and connect to the world.

I am glad I made the decision to study at Monash as I have met many inspiring students from around the world and have been exposed to a wide range of research projects, which eventually helped to shape my interest in Artificial Intelligence. With the wealth of opportunities provided in both Australia and Malaysia campuses, Monash is all that I have expected and more, as it has given me invaluable knowledge and experiences and moulded me into a well-rounded individual.

Did you participate in any student activities or opportunities?

I am no stranger to Monash’s offered opportunities. I was an international student volunteer in Cambodia during summer break in my first year. During my stay in Cambodia, I got the chance to collaborate with Code.org to host the Hour of Code campaign. In 2017, I was offered a place in the Industry-based learning (IBL) program and I was one of the successful recipients of the scholarship. Upon finishing the program, I was recommended by my lecturer to work as a research intern at Mimos Berhad, a national R&D centre, where I worked on Natural Language Processing with Machine Learning.

With sponsorship from Monash, I attended a Mental Health First Aid Training program and received a certificate of accreditation as a first aider. I was also one of the recipients of Monash University’s CURIE program. As a recipient, I was invited to turn my passion for research into an article for Reinvention Journal and presented my research topic at ICUR, a global conference.

Under the IBL program, which company did you work for and what did you do? Do you think it has made a difference for you in terms of career preparation?

I joined Configura for my IBL program in 2017 where I worked as a developer intern. During the internship, I contributed to the development process for their in-house software and I was largely responsible for projects related to 3D model reduction, model and material data import/export optimizations and some UI/UX enhancements.

For me, this internship brought me tremendous benefits. It gave me a chance to experience working in a software company and it allowed me to have a taste of what real working life is like. Configura suited my interest in being a programmer and it led me to a very new and interesting area of using 3D technologies in software engineering.

Through the assignments, I did not only gain a lot of knowledge but more importantly, I also had a great chance to sharpen my knowledge in a professional working environment and develop an arsenal of skills, both technical and social. It is commonly known that IT students are shy in presenting themselves. However, in this internship, I have become more confident as I was trained and given practice in giving presentations besides being given the opportunity to participate in discussions with staff from the USA, Sweden and Malaysia. Through these experiences, I have possessed the skillsets needed for my future career.

What are your career goals, or what impact would you like to have in the future?

My goal in life is to be part of a team that is able to bring benefits to society with the use of machines, either as a software developer, a researcher or an educator.