Mandy (Cong) Chen

MSc in Software Design

Mandy (Cong) Chen came to ITU with two BSc degrees in unrelated fields. She joined the MSc in Software Design; a top-up programme built for career changers and worked as a teaching assistant throughout her studies.

The “Introductory Programming” course confirmed her interest early: she found real satisfaction in debugging through trial and error. “Applied Algorithm” pushed her further, building her confidence as she applied and improved algorithms, she once struggled to understand. A mobile app development course helped her pinpoint her path further. That’s when she realised she cared more about how functions worked than how interfaces looked, which led her straight toward backend development.

After graduating, Chen secured a job as an associate software engineer at Awaze, the largest managed vacation rentals business in Europe. In July 2026, she took on a new role as a backend developer at Shape Games, an award-winning digital B2B platform and service provider. "ITU is a wonderful place to confirm your interests and potential, and to build a solid foundation for your future career,” she says.