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Ho Chi Minh City has climbed the ranks in recent years as a global financial center, and Giau Tran has positioned herself to grow with the movement.

Her preparation started years ago in rural Vietnam, where she was born and raised. Giau took accelerated math classes, distinguished herself in high school, and earned a place two hours away at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.

After graduating with a finance degree, Giau established herself as a research analyst, data scientist, and machine learning engineer at global organizations like Unilever. Along the way, she learned English, Japanese and limited Korean.

Giau took the next step in 2023. She decided to combine her finance and programming skills with a Master of Science in Financial Engineering and started looking at programs available in Vietnam. She eventually chose an accredited, online degree from WorldQuant University.

“I researched many schools for quantitative and financial engineering,” she says. “WorldQuant University was the right choice for me to develop my career path.”

Giau was prepared to pay for her education but got a surprise when she started the application process.

“I didn’t realize that it was free,” she says. “After I realized that it was free. I said, ‘Oh, great!’ But I would have chosen WorldQuant University anyway.”

The next two years were difficult. Giau worked full-time while studying, often completing projects on weekends and holidays. She even pulled all-nighters when necessary to meet deadlines or accommodate time zone differences. She says juggling multiple responsibilities is one of her strengths.

“I have the skill that I can structure everything,” she says.

Another strength for Giau is teamwork. WorldQuant University has learners from more than 150 countries, and program participants often collaborate on projects.

“I learned how to work together with many people in the world,” she says. “I have a big community at WorldQuant University.”

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• I Didn't Even Realize It Was Free! (1:39)