I’m Mit from Vietnam. I arrived in the Northern Territory three years ago to study a Master of IT (AI) degree. As the mother of a toddler, I needed to balance parenting with pursuing my studies and professional goals. What I found here exceeded all my expectations. This welcoming and supportive community has truly become a second home.
Studying a Master of IT (AI) in Australia
What I liked most about studying my Master of Information Technology in Artificial Intelligence at Charles Darwin University (CDU) was that it helped me understand what AI really means.
These days, everyone is talking about AI, but before this course it felt like a completely different language to me. Through my Master's, I learned about these technologies and came to understand how they actually work behind the scenes.
Two core units stood out for me: Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning for Computer Vision. These showed me how AI can interpret both text and images, capabilities that are essential for real-world applications.
Real world learning
During my studies, I had the opportunity to work with an AI startup in Darwin, where I focused mainly on unstructured data. I was involved in building data pipelines and developing AI chatbots, so it was exciting to apply what I was learning at university directly to industry projects.
One important realisation from this experience is that even though AI technology is readily available, many organisations still lack the high-quality, unified data needed to make AI actually work.
This sparked my interest in how data platforms like Google BigQuery and Microsoft Fabric can help build the strong foundations AI systems require.
Plans for my career
I recently graduated and have transitioned from a part-time role into a full-time, project-based position in the government sector, working with public sector data.
In this role, I'm using cloud platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Fabric, which allows me to apply both my AI knowledge and data skills in real-world environments.
Looking ahead, I want to continue developing my career at the intersection of AI and data engineering, helping organisations build the right data infrastructure so AI solutions can be implemented effectively.
Living and studying in Darwin
Living in Darwin has been wonderful, especially as the mother of a toddler. The city has a kind and welcoming atmosphere and a family-friendly environment, with parks, libraries and community activities. It has provided a nurturing space for my daughter to thrive, and this fills me with immense gratitude.
Studying at CDU has been a key part of this. I deeply value the University’s support for students with families. As someone passionate about technology and its potential to create meaningful change, I see the Northern Territory as a place of endless opportunities. My goal is to inspire other international students, especially women in STEM, to embrace this vibrant community and develop personally and professionally.