Trung Kien (Daniel) Tran
Software Engineer, Beca
Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Software Development
He has always been curious about the software world, says Trung Kien (Daniel) Tran who came to AUT as an international student from Vietnam to study a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Software Development.
“When I was a little kid, I always messed around with all these custom designs from Tumblr to build these ‘cool, flashy’ websites to amaze my friends. And somehow, I think that silly childhood hobby inspired me to pursue a career in software development to see how far I would get. As an international student, deciding to study overseas can be quite intimidating. I had to do lots of research to find out which university is best for me, and I came across AUT. Just landing on the website made me feel so energetic and the fun vibe I got from there made me want to give it a shot.”
It’s a decision he certainly hasn’t regretted, even though the start of his studies was a little unusual as it coincided with the start of the global COVID pandemic in 2020.
“My first few weeks at AUT went super well, and I made some good friends. But then the COVID lockdown happened, so most of the learning shifted online. It was quite sad to just be in your room as a freshman. Exams got harder as well, but that was a good test to see if I could make it – and I did. When the lockdown lifted, I decided to do more fun stuff. I joined the AUT student ambassador team, which was heaps of fun. I met so many interesting people outside of my degree, and some turned out to be good friends I still keep in touch with now. I also participated in the AUT Edge Award, which helped me make even more friends. Overall, I think the social aspect of AUT was one of my biggest highlights.
“I also appreciated the practical aspects of my degree. For example, in my final year, we got to apply for a project we were interested in for our research and development course, which was like a taste of the real world. It gave me a lot of insights into how the industry works, and some of those insights helped me land a real job right after I graduated.”
Supported to thrive
For Daniel, the academic staff were another highlight of his time at AUT.
“I still remember in my first year, during my first programming course, the lecturer told us to write down everything. That method got a mixed reaction in our class, but little did I know, his advice really translated into the real world. I’ve been keeping tabs on my work super efficiently by documenting everything I do, which is super handy when it comes to tracing down a bug, going back to see if your implementation can be improved or onboarding new team members.
“I’d like to give special thanks to Dr Weihua Li, who was my mentor for my final project. He gave my team so much meaningful advice, and helped us strengthen our technical skills and soft skills. He also gave me some useful career guidance after I graduated.”
He has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their own university journey.
“Uni can be a chance for you to reinvent yourself. It’s a fun experience, and you need to make the most out of it while you’re at it. Make as many friends as you can, learn as much as you can. And don’t be afraid, everyone is afraid when stepping into a new environment, but that’s how you grow. I know it’s easier said than done but you have three or four years of uni to learn to overcome it. If I had been scared to step outside of my comfort zone and hadn’t jumped from Vietnam to New Zealand, I wouldn’t have had a chance to have all these fun experiences I’ve had at all.”
A career in software engineering
Now working as a software engineer for Beca in Auckland, Daniel enjoys the combination of problem-solving, continuous learning and collaboration a career in software engineering offers.
“While coding is an important part of the job, I find it equally rewarding to understand the bigger picture, from system design to how different technologies fit together to solve real-world problems. The rapid growth of AI makes the field even more exciting, and working with people from different disciplines at Beca has given me the opportunity to learn new perspectives and approaches every day.”
He is proud of how far he has come since his early days at university.
“For me, the biggest achievement was going from having very little software knowledge when I entered AUT, when literally the only programming language I knew was C, to feeling so confident when I gave a full-on speech at our final project exhibition where I explained all the technical concepts to the stakeholders. That just amazed me. I’m a practical learner – I don’t learn through all these theories; I learn best when I get exposed to the concept and learn through practical scenarios. AUT really provided me with that experience.”
