Tawheed always loved technology. Now, with the support of ACU, he's building industry experience and new software systems in preparation for a career in tech.
When Tawheed started his Bachelor of Information Technology in 2024, it was the realisation of a 10-year dream. As a kid in his home country of Bangladesh, he'd always been fascinated by video games-not just playing them but trying to understand how they were made.
"I used to play video games on a small-screen cell phone, and even then, I wanted to know how the underlying technology worked," he says.
"I started learning Python and other programming languages when I was in school, and over time, I became really passionate about it. I was also really interested in web design, so that pushed me to dive deeper into the technology side of things."
By the time he was in high school, Tawheed had made a decision: he was going to pursue a career in tech. He started looking into overseas universities and was immediately drawn to the ACU Bachelor of Information Technology.
"In every university, they have similar curriculum. You can choose a major and focus on that. But in the ACU IT program, I could see I would learn everything from artificial intelligence to cybersecurity," he says.
"They also provide industry certifications as part of the course-in my first semester, I got a Microsoft Excel certification and in my second, I got a Microsoft Azure Fundamentals certification. I've already posted them to my LinkedIn account and added them to my resume. That professional learning component is what makes ACU different from other universities."
The ACU experience has been everything Tawheed was looking for. The small class numbers and supportive teaching team have given him a strong sense of community, and he's been challenged by a diverse collection of assignments that push him to apply his newfound skills.
When he's not in class, you can find him the ACU Library, which he describes as a peaceful place, perfect for studying. In his spare time, he's putting his newfound skills towards entrepreneurial opportunities. Recently, he built a digital customer loyalty system-an online version of the 'buy five, get one free' coffee cards that are common to many cafes in Sydney.
"Currently, when customers go to a café, they often get a stamp on a loyalty card to track how many coffees they've purchased. After a certain number, the café will give them a free drink," Tawheed says.
"I realised that if I just digitised this process, it would be easier. So I made a piece of software using Python and JavaScript that I named the Software Coffee Tracker. It can track customers' coffee purchases and gives a notification to the café when the customer is owed a free coffee."
Like many IT students, Tawheed has dreams of working in big tech for companies like Google, Tesla or Meta. Unlike Many IT students, he's confident that when it's time to look for a job, he'll be ready to meet the market.
This is an advice he'd like to offer to other international students: at ACU, if you do the work, you'll gain the skills you need to succeed. The practical curriculum and industry certifications all come together to create a world-class qualification.
"You don't need to worry about becoming job ready. ACU will make sure that happens," he says.
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