Journey to a program manager at Apple
RMIT Bachelor of Information Technology (IT) 2016 alumnus Nguyen Thi Bao Chau first joined Intel Products Vietnam as an IT intern, and within three years was appointed as New Product Integration Program Manager, directly engaging in the operations of high-tech product manufacturing.
After almost six years with Intel, Chau has recently assumed the role of Operations Program Manager at fellow tech giant Apple, where she oversees the manufacturing of smartphone and tablet camera components for the company’s global supply chain.
Although her background is in software programming, Chau recalled making use of every opportunity to learn and develop further in the operational management side of high-tech manufacturing. The young professional said the practical knowledge and skills she gained along the way were instrumental in helping her progress through eight rounds of interviews before landing her current job.
“My educational background in IT at RMIT gave me the necessary logical thinking that is critical to succeeding in my current role. Technical foundations are always a big advantage no matter what industry you choose to work in,” Chau said.
Many people tend to think of engineering and technology as heavily technical fields, but Chau believes that career opportunities are quite diverse "if you know how to play to your strengths".
“I find that women in this industry have an edge over men in communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills. These are skills that I started sharpening at university through academic courses as well as extra-curricular activities.”