We Launched a New Direction — and Started Changing Careers
In late December 2023, Programming School Vietnam launched a six-month "Data Analyst Professional" program for adults.
Over three months, 50 students from diverse backgrounds joined us: marketers, managers, entrepreneurs, NGO professionals, and specialists from finance and logistics sectors. People who understand that data analysis is not just a trendy skill, but a tool that transforms decision-making.
Under the leadership of school founder Sergey Shedov, we created a program that teaches not just how to work with tools, but how to think like an analyst: see patterns in data, test hypotheses, build forecasts, and turn numbers into actions.
This report is about how the first quarter of 2024 went, who is learning with us, and what social impact we're creating in Ho Chi Minh City and beyond.
Quarter Statistics: Growth and Diversity
50 students began their studies in the Data Analyst program from January to March 2024.
Age range: 22 to 45 years
Our students are people at different career stages. Some are just starting their professional journey and want to enter IT. Others have been working in business for 10+ years and understand that further growth is impossible without analytical skills.
Geography: IT Education for All of Vietnam
One of the key achievements of the first quarter — we proved that quality IT education can be accessible to people from any part of the country.
Student distribution by city:
- Ho Chi Minh City — 32 students (64%)
- Hanoi — 10 students (20%)
- Danang, Can Tho, Haiphong, and other cities — 8 students (16%)
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Thanks to our hybrid learning format — in-person classes at our center in Abacus Tower for students from Ho Chi Minh City and online broadcasts for everyone else — we created equal access to education regardless of geography.
This matters for Vietnam's social and economic development. A person from Can Tho or Haiphong receives the same knowledge, of the same quality, from the same instructors as a student from the center of Ho Chi Minh City. This means that IT competencies are developing not only in the largest cities but also in the regions — which means the human capital of the entire country is growing, creating new opportunities for career growth where access to quality education was previously limited.
Professional Background: Diversity as Strength
Our students represent various sectors of the economy:
- Marketing and Digital — 18 people (36%) Specialists who want to transition from intuitive decisions to a data-driven approach, learn to measure campaign effectiveness, and optimize budgets based on data.
- Business and Management — 12 people (24%) Mid-level managers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners who need analytical skills for project management and strategic decision-making.
- Non-profit Sector — 8 people (16%) NGO professionals working in education, healthcare, and social support, who use data to evaluate program effectiveness and attract grants.
- Finance and Banking — 6 people (12%) Specialists who work with financial data and want to deepen their analytical competencies.
- Logistics and Operations — 4 people (8%) Professionals who optimize supply chains and operational processes using data.
- Other Fields — 2 people (4%) Including education, HR, and tourism.
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This diversity is not accidental. It's an indicator that data analysis is becoming a critically important skill across all sectors of Vietnam's economy. From marketing to NGOs, from finance to logistics — specialists who can turn data into decisions are needed everywhere.
Social Impact: Who Studies and Why It Matters
When we launched the Data Analyst program, we didn't want to create just another "Excel course." We wanted to give people tools that would genuinely change their careers and strengthen their organizations.
Non-profit Sector Representatives
Among our students are NGO professionals working in education, healthcare, and social support. These people use data to evaluate program effectiveness, attract grants, and demonstrate results to donors.
For them, data analysis is not just a professional skill, but a tool that helps their organizations work more effectively and create more positive change in society.
We see this as an important mission: when NGO specialists gain analytical competencies, they strengthen Vietnam's entire non-profit sector. This is an investment in the country's social development.
Entrepreneurs and Small Business
Several students are founders of small and medium-sized businesses. They're learning to analyze sales, optimize processes, and forecast demand. For them, data is a way to stop relying on intuition and start making decisions based on facts.
Developing analytical competencies in small business is a direct contribution to Vietnam's economic development. The more entrepreneurs know how to work with data, the more sustainable and competitive the business environment becomes.
Professionals Changing Careers
Many students came to us wanting a career transition. They worked in sales, marketing, operations — and realized they want to develop in analytics. For them, the Data Analyst program is a bridge to a new profession.
We don't promise an easy path. Six months of study means serious work: statistics, hypotheses, SQL, visualization, projects. But at the end of this journey, students emerge with a portfolio of real cases and understanding of how to work with data at a professional level.
Why This Matters for Vietnam
Vietnam is actively developing as Southeast Asia's IT hub. But for this growth to be sustainable, we need not only programmers — we need analysts who can work with data, make decisions, and build systems based on facts.
Programming School Vietnam is creating the educational infrastructure that prepares such specialists. We teach not just technical skills — we teach the mindset that changes how people work.
Every student who completes our program and starts applying analytics in their work is a contribution to the development of Vietnam's economy, business, and non-profit sector.
The hybrid learning format makes this education accessible to people from any part of the country. This means that IT competencies are developing not only in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, but also in the regions — which means Vietnam's human capital is growing, creating new opportunities for economic growth and social development where access to quality education was previously limited.
We've only just begun. The first quarter showed that demand exists, the methodology works, and students are motivated. Ahead lies scaling, new programs, new partnerships, and new success stories.
Programming School Vietnam, under the leadership of Sergey Shedov, is building an educational system that unlocks people's potential and develops IT competencies in Vietnam. The first quarter of the Data Analyst program is the beginning of a long journey.
