Nguyen Khanh Linh: From a girl who loves code to the first female Google expert in Vietnam

Becoming the first female Google Developer Expert in Vietnam, few people know that Ms. Nguyen Khanh Linh started her technology journey from the hard-working coding sessions at Aptech.

Fell in love with technology because he mistook a computer for a TV

When she was three or four years old, while visiting a relative's house, the little girl saw a strange device in the living room - it looked like a TV, but the screen was white, had a keyboard that could be typed on, and the images kept moving. Later, she realized it was a computer.

That curiosity planted the seeds for her future journey. When her family bought their first computer, Linh began exploring the digital world . At first, it was just video games, but her interest quickly turned into questions: “How do people create these movements? How do they write software?”

From the initial confusion, Linh began to try her hand at programming. In 7th grade, she learned to write simple programs, became familiar with HTML, and built her first web pages.

Ms. Linh shared: “At that time, I was also an admin for a small school forum. Everything was clumsy, but it brought a very enjoyable feeling.”

Recalling the time when she first started studying at Aptech 285 Doi Can, she still feels both excited and nervous. At that time, she was just a secondary school student, while around her were seniors who were studying at major universities such as the University of Technology, the University of Natural Sciences , and some of them were even working in the engineering industry.

However, not discouraged, Linh always maintains a special learning attitude: curious and eager to explore . Each lecture, each exercise for Linh is like a "math problem" that needs to be solved. Instead of the pressure to excel, she chooses to go step by step, solve each problem and consider each "mistake" as an opportunity to learn something new.

For Ms. Linh, technology is no longer a game or a childish curiosity, but has become a serious choice, closely linked to a career. She believes that, to pursue it to the end, in addition to intelligence and creativity, young people need to be persistent and dare to accept mistakes.

Aptech students at 285 Doi Can and 19 Le Thanh Nghi at an exchange session with Aptech alumni Nguyen Khanh Linh

3 key factors for Gen Z to bring the country into the technology age

Her efforts helped her become the first female Google Developer Expert in Vietnam. When asked about this title, she shared that when working, she only wants to contribute to the community.

Ms. Nguyen Khanh Linh said that although Vietnam has many good engineers, their names on the world technology map are still not really prominent. With that in mind, Ms. Linh actively participates in events, workshops and especially works on open source projects. Each line of code she contributes, no matter how small, gives her the feeling that she is putting a piece into the overall picture of the global community.

Ms. Linh expressed: “It feels very special to be both a young programmer and a representative from Vietnam, working with international friends to create useful products. It is not only a contribution to the country, but also to the community and humanity.”

But the female expert also understands that for Vietnam to create a turning point in the technology era, it cannot rely on individual efforts alone but needs the resilience of an entire generation. With Gen Z, she emphasizes 3 key factors:

First, always keep a learning spirit. Put yourself in the mindset of a beginner. Even in a narrow field of expertise, you need to dig deeper every day, because knowledge never stands still.

Second, don't be afraid of making mistakes. Linh believes that the fear of making mistakes and being embarrassed is the biggest obstacle.

“Failure is not scary. What is scary is not daring to do anything because of fear of making mistakes. If you don’t try, you will never progress,” Linh shared her secret.

And finally, perseverance and the ability to listen to feedback. Many young people easily react negatively when receiving feedback. But listening with an open mind, especially from people with good intentions, will help us improve faster.

The journey from a passionate programming student at Aptech to becoming the first female Google Developer Expert in Vietnam has proven that Nguyen Khanh Linh's success is not based on luck, but is built on curiosity, daring to try and perseverance. On the website https://aptechvietnam.com.vn, she is also recognized as one of the typical young people, outstanding with specific actions, contributing to promoting the development of the country.

Through the advice of "never stop learning - don't be afraid of making mistakes - know how to listen", Ms. Linh sends a clear message to Gen Z: the technology path is wide open, as long as you persevere, you can definitely go far.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nguyen-khanh-linh-tu-co-be-me-code-den-nu-chuyen-gia-google-dau-tien-cua-viet-nam-post1776432.tpo