Subject: 

Career and University Orientation 

Course class: INS1018-02 
Lecturer: Phạm Thị Mỹ Dung 
GUEST SPEAKER REPORT  
Student full name: Bùi Hữu Phong
Student ID: 21070719
 
 
 
 
Table of content
1. Introduction
2.Main content
2.1.Summarize
2.2.Objectives and plan for the next 5 years
3. Conclusion
1.Introduction

When you were younger and people asked you what you wanted to be when
you grew up, they were inquiring about your desired career path. Some career
paths are straightforward, while others may include detours. However, actively
choosing a career path is an excellent way to obtain the necessary education and
experiences, as well as to develop the necessary skills. To do so, it's critical to
consider your interests and career goals as you make life decisions such as which
school to attend, which entry-level job to pursue, or whether to pursue a post-
graduate degree or specialized certification. Fortunately, while I was losing track
of my future career, I just had a chance to have a conversation with Mrs. Ngoc, a
guest speaker in my Career and University orientation class. She shared with us
very valuable experiences in the process of building her career. One of her quotes
inspired me a lot: “Don’t be afraid to fall”.

2. Main content
2.1. Summarize

Our guest speaker was not too long, but it was a complete overview of Mrs.
Ngoc’s process from being a freshman to the successful career person she is today.
The lecture provided various insights on career opportunities for the Vietnamese
industry and emphasized the significance of strong communication skills apart
from the academic merit of the student in their career path. According to her
introduction, she is an MBA, and currently, she works in Virginia, USA. She holds
the role of Sr. Business Manager at Capital one, one of the largest banks in the
United States, and has developed a reputation for being a technology-focused bank
Ms. Ngoc then discussed her work experience in Vietnam and the United
States. When she was a student at Foreign Trade University 14 years ago, she
discovered her favorite job was finance and passed the CPA exam, as well as well
prepared for her MBA to study abroad. The following section discusses job
opportunities after graduation. She mentioned that many of her friends chose to
work for companies and large corporations like Big 4 or KPMG after graduation.
She chose a new company that had just started up after graduation because she
heard the job was quite interesting: financial consulting and financial restructuring
for businesses.
Ms. Ngoc decided to study MBA in the United States after working for a
while in Vietnam. She earned a full scholarship through constant learning and
effort. She found internships on her first day in the United States. Fortunately, she
had the opportunity to meet the CEO of a company that is recruiting for an
internship with an M&A position while volunteering at school. She sent letters and
was invited to an interview. After the summer internship, she was offered a full-
time position based on her own abilities. Ms. Ngoc left the Renewable Energy
Group after five years to work for Smithyfield, a consumer goods company. She
switched to Capital One after working there for three years because she wanted to
challenge herself in a new field. This is a very dynamic new working environment
with numerous opportunities for her to learn new things.

Among other things, the guest lecturer advised us to think about our
lifestyles and what we want to achieve in life when planning our careers. Self-
fulfillment is the most important aspect of your career, and you must consider what
you can offer society, your friends, and your family, as well as what you expect to
receive. If you only seek money, you will reach middle age and begin to doubt
yourself, rather than look back and cherish your accomplishments because they
have brought you happiness. Finally, ownership, critical thinking, and resiliency
are three important components of a successful mindset that she wishes to address
with students in order to learn more about how to navigate and determine the best
path for a future career. As a result, this is a useful sharing session for students as
well as an experience for me to summarize and build my future goals and
objectives.

2.2. Objectives and plan for the next 5 years

An effective career plan will assist you in effectively navigating your

professional life, from obtaining your first job to having a fulfilling career. You
can gain short- and long-term goals, as well as incentives to support your process
development, by carefully organizing your career. Simply setting objectives won't
help you achieve your potential or create an effective plan; you also need to make
SMART goals for your career.
In the next 5 years, I'm going to pursue a marketing-related career after
graduating from college. I selected this career since it is in demand and my degree
is in Dual Marketing. Moreover, it plays an integral role in business. Marketing
executives strive to maximize revenue by developing marketing campaigns that
promote products, services, or ideas. Marketers can work in a variety of roles,
including Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, Search Engine
Optimization Specialist, Email Marketing Manager, Web Content Writer, and so
on. I am currently enrolled in a marketing course at university and on the internet.
This job will provide me with one competitive advantage. Marketing necessitates
the following qualities: Creativity, Energy, Intuition, Storytelling, and Teamwork...
Making an action plan is critical to achieving my objectives. My action plan
includes what I've learned from myself and at university, my future career, how I'll
achieve my goals, my issue, and how I'll take action. First, I'd like to describe my
current situation. I am a sophomore student at Vietnam National University's
International School. I work part-time at RES English Center. Second, I have three
career objectives. There is gaining as much knowledge as possible at university,
working for the Unilever group, and gaining more experience as a marketer. Third,
there are some steps I can take to achieve my goals, such as creating smart goals
and carrying them out step by step. Next, I am having financial difficulties as a
result of the tuition fee and my lack of experience in marketing jobs. Finally, I
carry out my actions. I plan to take the IELTS exam the next year and score 7.5. In
2024, I plan to finish all of my credits and begin an internship.

3. Conclusion

I presented a summary of the guest content as well as my own experience in

my report. This is a very meaningful sharing session, and Ms. Ngoc is also a funny
and talented individual. I admire her talent and hard work. Finally, I want to talk
about my opinion on what is a successful career. I have no intention of getting rich,
I just want to be independent. We can put getting rich aside but independence has
always been my personal financial goal. Chasing the highest returns or making the
most of my assets to live a lavish life doesn't excite me much. I mostly just want to
wake up every day knowing that my family and I can do whatever we want our
own way. Independence, for me, doesn't mean you stop working. It means you just
do the work you like when you want and for as long as you want