Career Chats : Tam Nguyen

You've probably heard the phrase "a career path is never a straight line." It can be scary not to know what you want to do, or know what you want but not how to get there. Career Chats is a series aimed at tackling these uncertainties. The series highlights women in different roles across LinkedIn and the unique journey that led them to where they are today. We hope these stories will help you find your path to your dreams.

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Career Chats with Tam Nguyen

Role:?Senior Software Engineer, Infrastructure Team at LinkedIn

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Q: Walk us through your career path so far.

Born and raised in Vietnam, the dream of attending college in the United States was a goal for any Vietnamese high school student. After years of dedicated preparation, I was fortunate to receive scholarships to attend the College of Wooster. Yet, with this exciting opportunity came the immediate question: What should I study?

At that time, Computer Science was a burgeoning field, unfamiliar to my family, and met with skepticism from my parents. They couldn't fathom the idea of their little girl venturing into a traditionally male-dominated domain, questioning whether it was truly worth the effort.

Despite their concerns, I found myself at a crossroads, grappling with the decision of my academic path. It took a couple of years in college, exploring various subjects, to pinpoint my passion and potential career. Uncertain of my capabilities and grappling with imposter syndrome, I was on a quest for direction.

The turning point came in 2018 when I attended the Grace Hopper Conference, a gathering of 30,000+ women from diverse backgrounds and fields, all united by their involvement in technology. It was a transformative experience that opened my eyes to the existence of a robust support system for women in tech and science. The conference not only broadened my perspective but also propelled me into action. Landing my first internship with Bank of America at the conference became a pivotal moment, gradually bolstering my confidence.

Fast forward to 2020, and I proudly graduated with a major in Computer Science. My journey led me to work at Nordstrom for about a year post-graduation before transitioning to LinkedIn. Joining the Validation Engineering team, I have found immense joy in every moment working with my colleagues, embracing the challenges and opportunities in the dynamic world of technology.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?

Working with LinkedIn Infrastructure and having opportunities to help other engineers to have a safer, reliable deployment is what I like the most about. Other than that, I always feel belonging when working with my colleagues. That’s definitely strengthened my confidence.

Q: What is the best advice you have gotten so far in your career?

Good things take time.

I believe?in hard work. Whatever you like or really want to do, just do it. If I let the imposter syndrome prevent me from thinking about Computer Science, I won’t have a chance to share my experience today.?Imposter syndrome still haunts me in every task I do, but at the same time, I don’t want to regret things that I should have done.? I think that effort throughout the years helped me reach my current position in just about 4 years after college graduation.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Strengthen my voice in Tech to empower more women all around the world. Born and raised in Vietnam, a small Asian country that was classified as underdeveloped for decades, to study and work in the most developed country in the world, I feel so fortunate to share my views and experiences with more women. In order to do this, I will continue to do my best at my work and hopefully in the next 5 years, I can do more meaningful things and explore my growth journey.

Q: What is something that is not on your LinkedIn Profile?

I love arts and colors. From photography to fashion, I love to see how color, shades, shadow, and details combine to shape the emotion of any piece.

Want to see more posts like this? Check out our past Career Chats here:

https://careerchatsseries.splashthat.com/