When Donda Yusuf began the Master of Technology in Software Engineering (MTech SE) at NUS-ISS, he was not looking for a course that would teach him how to code. Having taught himself programming after almost a decade of running a language school, Donda had gone on to work professionally in software engineering, including in AdTech and AI. But as the projects he handled became more complex, he began to recognise a gap.
“I could build, but I couldn’t always defend my design decisions; I was going based on instinct,” he said. “That’s fine until the stakes go up. At some point, I decided I would rather have the foundations under it than keep working around the gap”
Mr Donda Yusuf delivering his valedictorian speech during the commencement ceremony in July this year.
That was what brought him to the part-time, stackable Master of Technology in Software Engineering at NUS-ISS. “I wanted a part-time programme that would allow me to continue working full-time. Many programmes required a formal qualification in the field, which I did not have. NUS-ISS was one of the few institutions that recognised the path I had taken and offered the practical, stackable pathway I needed,” shared the valedictorian from the graduating class of 2026.
Through modules in software architecture, product management and big data, Donda began putting structure behind decisions he had previously made largely through experience. Architecture gave him the reasoning behind technical choices, while big data strengthened his understanding of the systems and predictive analytics underpinning the AI products he was already working on.
Product management, however, prompted a different kind of reflection.
“From my founder years, I had made mistakes I never had a name for, to build things nobody needed, chased the wrong problems,” he said. “A lot of those classes, I just kept seeing my own past.”
The programme also pushed him to defend his ideas before lecturers and course mates who challenged his assumptions. Over time, that changed how he approached difficult problems.
“I went in thinking the value would be the technical foundations,” he said. “But the bigger shift was in how I break a problem down.”
Importantly, those lessons did not remain in the classroom. Donda was able to apply what he learnt directly to his work, sometimes learning new technology in class and using it on strategically important projects within the same week. The stackable format also allowed him to steer his learning towards the challenges he was encountering professionally.
Celebrating his achievement with his family.
Today, as a Senior AI Engineer at MSD, Donda leads enterprise-grade AI solutions and works across engineering, product and business functions.
What has changed most is his instinct to start building immediately.
“The programme gave me the structure to stay in the problem space and be more comfortable there,” he said.
For Donda, becoming a better engineer has therefore meant more than learning how to build better systems. It has meant learning to make sure he is building the right thing in the first place.
Visit here for more information on the Master of Technology in Software Engineering programme. Interested in a flexible study option? Learn more about the Stackable Graduate Certificate Programme in Smart Systems & Platforms, which stacks up towards the Master of Technology in Software Engineering.