Not every Centennial College student comes from high school. Many of our students are already working professionals, who are looking to post-secondary education as a pathway to a new, different career path. Victor Tse is one of those students, and Centennial College took him from a non-software engineering role in Hong Kong, to a full-time position in Canada’s manufacturing sector as an AI and automation professional.
A graduate of Centennial College’s Software Engineering Technology Co-op program, Victor is now working at TI Automotive, where he helps transform raw production data into automated systems that drive efficiency and decision-making. His journey is proof of how the applied learning, student research opportunities, and industry collaboration at Centennial College can translate directly into career success.
Pivoting to Software Engineering
Victor didn’t begin his career in software, but he quickly realized its potential.
“I was working in an engineering company,” he says. “I wasn’t in software, but I had tons of data that needed to be analyzed to get results. At that time, I started building a small application to help me for the work, and I start feeling that this was a very interesting direction, to develop software. That's why I decided, why not learn more? Then I can hopefully switch my path to software engineering.” That realization set him on a new pathway, that would eventually bring him to Canada.
Choosing Canada and Centennial College
Victor already had experience in Canada, which left an impression on him.
“I like Canada,” he says. “I like the place, the environment and the people. I worked in Canada many years before as an internship student in Ottawa, and I liked that. So that why I wanted to come back.” When researching programs, Centennial stood out for its practical, career-focused approach, and the way it let him make use of his previous career experience to skip ahead through a fast-track program.
“Centennial’s Software Engineering Technology Program provided flexibility,” he says. “I already had some background knowledge on software, so they provided a fast-track program where I could save one year. They also provide many hands-on practical courses, not only theory, but real practical skills that businesses need. They also provide the opportunity for co-op, so I can really have some working experience during my study. That last one was very useful, because I wasn’t in this industry before, so any working experience would be very important.”
Learning Inside and Outside of the Classroom
At Centennial, Victor quickly found himself immersed in real-world applications of software engineering.
“They keep updating their courses to match the current trends in the industry,” he says. “They try to find the most popular tech being used, and teach that. They also really quickly go into the practical, and we learn by working on many projects. It really helped me to go into the industry very quickly.”
Beyond the classroom, Victor also contributed to special projects on campus. As a peer tutor with the Library Tutoring Services, Victor helped other students build their skills. That experience led to a larger opportunity.
“I started as a peer tutor in the library,” he explains. “I’d go there to teach software engineering to the junior students. An opportunity came up where they wanted to have a pure AI tutoring application. I was interested in software development, I’ve got peer tutor experience, and also, I have knowledge of AI. So, I joined the project.”
Turning Opportunity into Employment
Victor’s experience extended further through Centennial Innovates, the college’s applied research and innovation arm. There, he worked on an industry-driven project in collaboration with TI Automotive that would directly shape his career.
Called the Automated Scheduling System, the project was to create a tool that dynamically updates job schedules in response to changing conditions on the factory floor.
This type of applied research experience, where students collaborate with industry partners to solve real problems, is a hallmark of Centennial Innovates. It also plays a key role in helping students transition into the workforce. Sure enough, the project ultimately led Victor to a full-time position at TI Automotive.
“When I had summer break,” he says, “I just asked them if they had any opportunities to be in a summer internship, and ended up working for them full-time in the summer. After that, I continued to work with them part-time for other projects, so after I graduated, they said they could offer me a full-time job.”
Building Smarter Systems in Manufacturing
Today, Victor works at TI Automotive as an automation and data analyst, helping modernize how manufacturing data is processed and used.
“I'm currently working with them as an automation and data analyst,” he explains. “As they run manufacturing, they have so much data. They want to show their KPI [Key Performance Indicators], and they have a system that records that data. Before I got there, they were mainly using Excel, and depended on people to do the tedious job of copying and pasting in order to do the analysis. That's where my specialty came in. I helped them build systems so that they can they could automatically get the data, and make sure it’s accurate.”
For Victor, the most rewarding part of the job is seeing the tangible impact of his work.
“It’s interesting when I know that what I built saved them a lot of time, made the data accurate, and made it easy for them to make decisions,” he says.
Advice for Future Software Engineers
Victor’s journey, from career transition to full-time employment, offers a clear lesson for aspiring software developers: Practical experience is essential.
“Centennial provides many opportunities for us to be in the industry, practically,” he says. “The most difficult thing is getting that first job in software engineering; you need to build actual stuff instead of just small projects. You need to get your hands dirty. So, I would advise people to actively chase any chance to build projects.”
Victor Tse’s story is a strong example of how Centennial College helps students, especially international learners, build meaningful careers. Through hands-on education, co-op opportunities, and applied research with Centennial Innovates, students gain the experience and industry connections needed to succeed in a competitive job market. For Victor, that journey has already paid off, transforming his curiosity about software into a brand-new career.
By Anthony Geremia