PHOENIX HO: "FINDING A CAREER IS A LIFELONG LEARNING PROCESS"

Interviewed and written by Thai Hai Yen, the RMIT Alumni Association Coordinator

In this issue, we would like to share with you the “career search journey” of RMIT Vietnam Career Counsellor and RMIT Vietnam alumna, Ms. Phoenix Ho. Phoenix is amongst RMIT Vietnam’s Acclaimed Alumni, having won the TNT Award for Outstanding Graduate in 2004. Phoenix is an experienced counsellor who received her Masters of Educational Leadership and Management in 2004 and Masters of Arts in Career Development Counselling from Santa Clara University in the US.

Her career pathway

Having taken many detours in finding her current career path, Phoenix believes that long “self-searching” journeys help make her a good career counsellor.

The first detour that she took was selecting a major, mathematics, which she was good at rather than passionate about. She chose a college rather than a university because “it’s easier, more fun and because [her] friends were there”. She got A’s in almost everything she studied but was confused about what her real strengths were. The confusion went on until one day when she spoke to a girl studying the same major; she saw the girl’s eyes shine with passion when talking about math… and asked herself “What am I doing?” She knew she needed a change.

Her “strength and passion” journey went on and at times it seemed never-ending. She switched to business; again not the right choice. It took Phoenix a very long time to discover what it was she really liked doing; and what it was that also matched her values. She returned to Vietnam and worked in a couple of organizations. She then decided to switch to the non-profit sector. However overseas Vietnamese, like her, were required to have a Masters degree. As she didn’t have a Masters Degree, Phoenix enrolled in the Masters of Education program at RMIT International University Vietnam. This was one of the biggest turning points in her life, and she believes this degree helped her a lot in strategic thinking.

According to Phoenix, many people can gain from getting broader life experience first before they move onto a Masters degree “so that they have enough experience and background to use and reflect upon” during these further studies.

Her career path includes flights back and forth from Vietnam to America. It includes job trials and several position changes until one day, when teaching a small group of students, she realized the light of hope at the end of the tunnel. Her heart told her she was born to become a counsellor. From the moment she stepped into her “Masters of Counselling class”, she knew her dream had come true - she had found the “real person” in her. It’s no surprise that the 2 years she has worked for RMIT Vietnam as a Career Counsellor is the time she has learned most about herself. Through student, parent, alumni and staff consultations, she found the beauty in her job was to enlighten people’s hearts and help them realise their real strengths, so that they could make up their mind on their own career decisions.

Most important factors affecting one’s career path

In her opinion, for different people there are different important factors that affect their career paths. There are people from a very young age who know exactly what they are good at. There are people who are good at many things, but don’t know what they are very good at. She used the example of her own sister, who is really talented in arts. Her sister realised her talent as a child and focused on it; everything was so easy for her. Phoenix thinks she belongs to the second group of people; those who find it really hard to recognise their real strengths. Culture also plays an instrumental role in helping find your strengths. If for example you live in a culture where only strengths in math and science are acknowledged, it’s hard if you excel at sports or have great interpersonal skills, because these strong points may not be considered strengths. It’s similar when students talk more than others because they’re extrovert; others tend to say they’re talkative. Therefore, it’s not always easy for people to learn about their strengths.

“My suggestion is to try every single thing you like. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. If you make a mistake, consider it something that you learn from. Whenever you hear a voice in your head telling you that you cannot do something, or it’s not your strength, then question, why. Did it come from your parents, did it come from society, culture or someone else you met in life that made you think you were not good at something. Always question, why we think the way we think. In short, I think the more you try, the more courageous you are; the better it is. You will never know what your strengths are until you discover them from trial.” According to Phoenix, “your strengths will come out naturally and most clearly when you suffer from obstacles and difficulties in life, because that’s when you realize your strong nature”. In this self-searching journey, good friends are very important. “You need friends who you can trust, who support and motivate you but dare to criticize you to make you better.”

Phoenix strongly believes in two things: First, before you know your career, you have to know who you are in terms of what you are good at, what your personality is, and what the values are in your life. Treat what you value most as the core and be comfortable with it. You need to love yourself before you can find out about your career dream. Otherwise, you will be continuously searching. At different stages in life, we have different priorities for our values and interests.

Second is to be open to happenstances in life, which are unpredictable happenings in your life. When they happen, instead of feeling sad, angry or afraid; what you should do is to embrace them and turn them into opportunities. For example, if you lose a job that you really like, instead of locking yourself in your room and crying, blaming yourself; I suggest you take a chance to travel, meet new people, talk with a career counsellor and let everybody know you are available for a new job.

For Phoenix, finding a career is a lifelong learning process.