CSpotlight: Following her father's footsteps

New B.A. graduate Amber Nguyen became interested in computer science because of her dad. During her time at the U of M, she was exposed to Target and their dedication to supporting female technologists. After participating in their Women in Tech Symposium and a subsequent internship, she's now ready to build her own legacy in computing as a software engineer with the company.

Why did you choose to study computer science specifically at the University of Minnesota?

I actually did PSEO at the University my senior year of high school, and so it just made sense to continue here to make the most out of that free year. Though admittedly not my high school self’s dream school, I really feel now that this was the right choice! This is a great school.

How did you become interested in computer science? What made you specifically focus on software engineering and back-end development?

My dad works in computer science! He manages multiple database teams at Wells Fargo. I think I got interested in computer science since I was interested in my dad’s work.

I like software engineering because of the problem-solving aspect, but mostly because I feel like it's something I can do that will help people. Software engineering requires working with clients in order to create a useful product, and I like the idea of the things I do having an impact.

As for back-end development, I actually think I’m more open to other areas now! I think instead of focusing on one area of development, it's better to explore since there’s just so much you can do within the field of computer science. I’ve worked with both backend and frontend, and can honestly say both are things I can see myself enjoying.

How did you decide to be an intern on the Target Property Design team? What projects did you work on?

Two summers ago, I was a part of Target’s Women in Tech Symposium. I learned a lot about Target’s culture and tech teams and was able to meet many wonderful women involved in tech. I was also able to participate in a hackathon with other attendees. Women representation in tech is always talked about, but sometimes companies don’t do much about it—I liked that Target was making a clear effort to include women on their technology teams. It was a very empowering and engaging experience, so when Target offered me an internship, I was happy to accept.

As for my projects, the Property Design team at Target manages a website that helps track information about current construction projects at various Target locations. Over the summer I worked with another intern to expand this website by adding a page that helped store and manage information about key dates for each construction project. It was a full-stack application, and I learned a lot about back-end and front-end technologies.

Tell us more about your work with the Minnesota Population Center.

My team at the Minnesota Population Center works with data from demographic health surveys that are taken in various countries around the world. This data is put on the team’s website. I’ve worked here since freshman year, so I’ve done various things, but currently, I’m working with Professor Elizabeth Boyle on her IPUMS DHS Stata project.

I use a coding language called Stata (similar to R) to organize survey data into various tables, and push this Stata code to our team’s GitHub for other people to use. The goal is to make it easy for everyone to obtain these tables by simply running the files. Previously, I would transcribe survey PDFs or documents into an HTML format so that the survey text could be put onto the website. I enjoy the work because this data is really important for creating healthcare programs, and I think it’s cool to be a part of something important like that.

How did you become a teacher at Tech Academy? How did this experience help you grow as a computer scientist?

A friend saw the job posting on Indeed and told me I should apply, since the posting asked for computer science students. Since I was a teacher, this job really helped me become more assertive and confident in my leadership skills. Since I often had to work with assistant teachers to develop the curriculum for the class, I also learned the importance of communication and teamwork, which is of course important in any setting. Lastly, I was teaching very basic computer science concepts to elementary and middle schoolers, so it really helped solidify those concepts into my mind as well.

What advice do you have for incoming computer science students?

I sort of mentioned it already, but explore! There are so many things you can do in computer science, so you should take as many varied classes as you can, instead of just sticking with one path, even if you think you already know what you like. You might find something you like even more! If you have a wide range of skills under your belt, it’s easier to apply to a variety of different jobs too!

What are your plans after graduation?

I’ll be joining Target full-time in July 2022 as a software engineer through their Tech Leadership Program. Since I’m graduating this fall [2021], I’ll have a few months of free time where I’m honestly just going to relax and have fun until then.