AI Engineer at Elek Software
I'm Hiep (Andrew). I didn't start with a clear plan, but I always had curiosity, and I learned early on that if you combine that with the right strategy and a willingness to adapt, you can get further than you think.
I grew up in Vietnam with a passion for technology but no real roadmap for where it would take me. I applied to study in the US almost blindly, and ended up at Luther College in Iowa doing a degree in Data Science. It was a leap into the unknown, a different culture, a different education system, a different way of thinking, but I embraced it. I wasn't just studying, I was figuring out who I was professionally and what kind of work actually excited me.
That curiosity took me further than I expected. I interned in Portugal, did research back in Vietnam, then made another leap and moved to Australia for a PhD at UTS in AI security and privacy. Each move taught me something new about how to navigate unfamiliar environments, how to find opportunities, and how to balance building a career with actually enjoying the journey.
Along the way I published 10+ peer-reviewed papers, worked on an industry research project with NBN Co applying LLMs to real network problems, competed in hackathons just because I loved the challenge of building things fast, and eventually landed a full-time AI Engineer role in Sydney building production AI systems.
None of this was accidental. Each step had a strategy behind it. But the strategy only worked because I stayed honest with myself about what I actually wanted, and kept adjusting until I found the path that fit.
That's what I want to help you find. Whether you're thinking about studying abroad, considering a PhD, trying to break into the tech industry, or just trying to figure out your next move, I want to share what I've learned so you can find your own path faster and with more confidence than I did.
You don't need everything figured out from the start. You just need the right direction and someone who has been there.
