By Devakumar A/L Robert William, Senior Executive, BAC College and Nevash Nithi, Content Writer, BAC College

Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace, and building a meaningful career requires adaptability, resilience, and a willingness to step into new domains. As part of the UNIMY Expert Interview Series, we sit down with industry leaders who share their career journeys, insights, and advice for the next generation of professionals.

In this edition, we feature Mr. Johnson Chin, a software engineer and community builder who also leads community initiatives with GDG Cloud Kuala Lumpur. His journey began with uncertainties such as internship rejections and student hackathons. It grew into work across developer relations, software engineering, and R&D at Virtuals Protocol. Mr. Johnson’s journey reflects a willingness to learn, experiment, and carve his own path in tech, which also represents the vibrant, driven spirit of modern young tech talent in Malaysia.

Here, he shares his perspectives on building skills beyond the classroom, the value of communities, and how students can prepare for a fast-changing tech landscape.

Question 1: You started your technology journey through student communities, hackathons and projects. How did these experiences shape your career?
My journey really began when I started my Software Engineering diploma just after the COVID-19 pandemic. I randomly discovered hackathons through YouTube and decided to find a local one to join. During my very first hackathon, I still remember we only joined after starting to learn Python for only two weeks from university, and of course we came in last place haha. But I would say that luckily we were able to cope with that failure and it inspired us to develop a strong “try again” mindset.

Later on, I became deeply involved in community building during my studies in university, especially when we started building up new tech clubs. We would frequently lack external speakers, so sometimes I would decide to step up and lead the workshops’ content myself. My method was simple but effective: I would always choose a new technical topic that I didn’t have knowledge of and that forced me to learn it just so I was able to present the topic. Teaching others forced me to master topics rapidly and fundamentally prepared me for my future leadership and software engineering roles.

Question 2: What can students gain from hackathons, technology communities and industry events that they may not learn in the classroom?
I think the biggest takeaway for me personally was a massive shift in perspective. Hackathons and tech communities can really broaden your views far beyond your academic syllabus. One notable one is that I had the opportunity to join an online school from San Francisco which was focused on empowering the “builder concept”. That experience completely opened my eyes, it taught me that building a product could start as simple as shipping a quick landing page and direct customer validation, rather than trying to spend time to craft the ultimate plan.

Additionally, the networking from these events isn’t just about making connections; it’s about learning diverse viewpoints from people with very different experiences and problem-solving approaches.

Question 3: How can students use communities, projects and events to build both their technical and communication skills?
It all comes down to building a solid foundation and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. I’ve always found that problem-solving is an overlooked skill and students tend to just aim at knowing how to code. Whenever I start to feel lost in my current direction, I try to define my goal and then reverse-engineer the path to get there.

As I found out when I was teaching technical workshops, explaining concepts to peers accelerates your technical understanding while simultaneously polishing your communication and public speaking skills. You can’t expect yourself to work well with teams if you aren’t communicating clearly. That goes both ways for assignments and hackathon projects.

Question 4: You have spoken about facing more than 100 internship rejections. What did that experience teach you, and what advice would you give students looking for their first opportunity?
Experiencing over 100 rejections was definitely challenging, considering I already had quite a strong portfolio as a student. I founded a software house, won hackathons, and also had multiple public speaking experiences for tech workshops. Ironically, some recruiters rejected me simply for being “overqualified” for standard internship positions. But looking back, I felt like I was indeed lacking in terms of technical value that I could provide.

What this experience taught me, while also being my primary advice to students looking for their first opportunity today, is that you need to know what value you’re able to provide and leverage it. If you say, “Oh well, I’m able to work on tasks when given,” you’re not different from an LLM (large language model, the technology behind AI chatbots) with a capable harness. Instead, you should be able to problem solve and take on complex tasks and be a driver with AI instead of letting AI take the wheel.

The harsh reality now is this: what value can you provide that exceeds an AI subscription? Try to focus heavily on mastering fundamentals, because “anything multiplied by zero is still zero.” Without a strong core understanding of any project experience, all the networking and modern tools in the world won’t land you the role.

Question 5: With AI changing the way technology professionals work, what should students be doing today to prepare themselves for the future?
You should see AI as a powerful enhancer, not a replacement. If used correctly, AI can help you compress one to three years of progress into just a few months, provided your foundational knowledge is intact. To prepare for the future, I recommend a four-step approach:

• First, define exactly what you want to achieve.
• Second, reverse-engineer your path, mapping out the precise skills and experiences you need.
• Third, develop strong problem-solving skills; understanding the “why” and “how” of a problem is far more valuable than simply memorising syntax.
• Finally, be incredibly adaptable and open-minded. The industry will keep on changing, and you have to be ready to evolve alongside it.

Quick-Fire Q&A with Mr. Johnson Chin

Q: What is your preferred programming language?
Mr. Johnson: TypeScript. I heavily lean towards it because of my background in web development.

Q: What is your preferred AI tool?
Mr. Johnson: Claude. I find it to be much more developer-friendly, which makes it highly effective for my current day-to-day tasks.

Key Takeaways
Mr. Johnson Chin’s journey highlights an inspiring lesson for any student or aspiring technologist: professional growth isn’t just about what you learn in lecture halls, but how you build, experiment, and collaborate within communities. Whether developing full-stack applications, nurturing student builder spaces, or pushing through early career rejections, the core principles, persistence and continuous creation, remain vital.

• Learn by Building: Join hackathons, side projects, and developer communities to gain practical, hands-on experience early.
• Embrace Resilience: Rejections are merely stepping stones; persistence and grit are critical when landing your first big break in tech.
• Focus on Problem-Solving: Learn to clearly define your goals and try to reverse-engineer the path to achieve them; problem-solving is vastly more valuable than just writing code.
• Grow Your Network: Surround yourself with like-minded builders and engage actively with tech communities to accelerate both technical and soft skills.
• Use AI as an Enhancer: Master the fundamentals first (“anything multiplied by zero is still zero”), then leverage tools to multiply your capabilities and learning speed.

About the UNIMY Expert Interview Series
The UNIMY Expert Interview Series brings real-world perspectives from experienced technology professionals and industry leaders to students, aspiring professionals, working adults and anyone interested in building a future in technology.

Through their career stories, industry insights and practical advice, our interviewees help readers better understand the opportunities, challenges and skills involved in working in the technology industry.

This interview is part of the UNIMY Expert Interview Series, which brings real-world perspectives from experienced technology and industry professionals to students, aspiring professionals and anyone interested in building a future in technology.