How an international education helped a schoolgirl from Vietnam become a CEO
Minh Ngo, CFA, has a simple message for her younger self: “Your job is not your identity.” After finding inspiration from the entrepreneurs she met while studying overseas and working in Canada, she is now her own boss back in Vietnam and the founder of a consulting firm. No longer the schoolgirl who was once afraid to speak up, she is now a confident business leader. Find out how she learned to cast off her social conditioning as a woman in Vietnam and learned to believe in her own voice.
Hi there, little Minh. It's me, your future self. I'm here to tell you some life lessons that I hope they will become useful for you to grow into a more confident person.
We were working as a strategy consultant in a big four in Vietnam for several years. We found the job stagnant; and we craved for some change. So we applied directly to another big four in Canada and thankfully we got it. We were exposed to many entrepreneurs, not in just Canada, but America. We felt that there are more than just 9 to 5, and our mindset start to change.
I quit my job to start my business, and then we come back to Vietnam to continue the journey. Being your own boss is not easy. We never thought we would do it, we would take that road, but we did anyway.
As a girl, going to public school in Vietnam, we are not encouraged to speak up or have our own opinion. We were so introverted and shy. Most of our relatives thought that we were ‘vung ve,’ or not good at communicating.
Deep down, we always wanted to study overseas, so we work hard to prepare ourselves for the MBA in the US. During that two years, we learned to speak up and to believe that our opinion matters. Dear young Minh, what I wanted to tell you is this: your job is not your identity. Don't be afraid to pivot. Be patient, stay curious, and believe in your own voice. Give yourself some time to grow and trust the journey.
A letter to my younger self
What advice do you wish you had heard before starting your career in finance? In this series of personal stories, CFA® Charterholders from different backgrounds discuss the insights they have gained during their career journey and the pivotal moments that shaped their professional paths. What would you write in a letter to your younger self?
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