Nhu nguyen

After leaving my first freelance writing job at a notable newspaper in Vietnam — where I spent five years from my last year of high school until graduating from university, I have since worked at eight organizations across two regions, including three creative agencies, one brand, one NGO, and three United Nations agencies.

I’ve changed, more times than most would consider ideal. (Trust me, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been asked why my CV has so many details). But look a little closer, through years, I’ve collected my own “horcruxes” — fragments of growth that have shaped me both professionally and personally, all under the broad umbrella of communication.

Why did I change?

I began my first full-time job in 2017 at a local creative agency, where I was a happy bee buzzing between the office and the shooting studio. My days were filled with writing content pieces and video scripts, brainstorming campaign ideas, and observing the magic of production unfold. It was a world of creativity and collaboration where I loved every bit of it. But after a year, I found myself increasingly drawn to the world of public relations and influencer marketing. I no longer wanted to just write scripts for creators or polish brand briefs — I wanted to shape the story, to be at the center of the process. That’s when I decided to take the leap and join L’Oréal for the next growth.

Not all growth happens in a straight climb upward. Sometimes, it’s when I need to decide if I want to do things differently. 2020 was the year I learned that. The opportunity to work as a consultant for the United Nations came to me unexpectedly. I had dreamed of joining the UN for years, sending applications that seemed to disappear into the void. I never imagined that this long-awaited chance would arrive when the world stopped spinning. The first COVID wave hit. Borders closed. Campaigns were frozen. Filming schedules shifted over and over again. Everything familiar suddenly felt uncertain. I had one week to decide: should I stay where I was, trying to adapt to the chaos, or take a leap into something completely new — a new role, a new country, a new version of myself waiting. It wasn’t an easy choice, but a strong voice inside me spoke up: in hard moments, choose what scares you. That’s how I started my journey with UNICEF.

Not every time does life give you a gentle nudge; sometimes, it pushes you straight out of your comfort zone. The humanitarian funding cuts last year were never on my 2024 bingo card. Starting my first full-time job in the Netherlands, I had a clear three-year plan mapped out, milestones to reach, skills to sharpen, and a vision to grow with the organization I truly loved.

But everything changed on a slow Monday morning, just after I returned from a business trip to Washington last Friday. At 10 a.m., a “quick catch-up” email landed in my inbox. One hour later, I was sitting in the office, staring out the window. Birds were still chirping, the autumn sun was slipping through the clouds, and I was trying to digest the news: The funding wasn’t enough to keep all the roles. I had four weeks to find a new job before my visa expired. The renewal had been suspended. The plan I’d carefully built with the organization dissolved in an instant, and I suddenly had to reframe my entire future.

The transition

I still remember the first mornings of every new job I’ve started. It became my little tradition — waking up early, finding a nearby café, opening my notebook, and writing down my expectations, my vision of who I wanted to be, and the goals I hoped to achieve.

In January 2017, I was a creative copywriter with a background in journalism. By another early morning in 2018, I was a PR executive — now blending creative storytelling with media insight. In 2020, I became a communication consultant, expanding my PR and media expertise across retail and sustainability at a regional level. In 2022, I added international business acumen to my communication toolkit. By 2023, in The Hague, I grew into an advisory role, coordinating international projects and events. And now, in 2025, I’ve stepped into the world of e-commerce and strategic planning.

Each of those mornings tells a story. Every change has added a new layer to who I am, not just a longer list of skills or new titles, but a reflection of how deeply I’m driven to become the best version of myself.

What I learned

The first thing I learned was this: change is a part of life itself. Whether it comes by choice or by chance, accepting change means giving myself permission to unfold new versions of who I am and to step into chapters I never planned for. That mindset became my compass during confusing and challenging transitions of my life. “Just accept life as it comes”, it always sounds easier in theory than in practice. But I realized the sooner I stopped resisting and started moving forward, the faster clarity came. In the end, we can’t stand at a bus stop for 30 days waiting for a guaranteed direction. If we do, we might miss all the other buses passing by — the ones that could have taken us to potential destinations. We’re never 100% ready, we just have the courage to do it.

Next thing is, looking back after all, I think that nothing truly bad can happen. Leaving a place I loved made me sad. Leaving what was familiar made me afraid. Being forced to leave a job I had hoped to grow with broke my heart and sent me into a quiet spiral of disappointment and self-doubt. But once that wave of emotion passed, life went on. I found myself adapting faster than I ever expected. Like, really, what’s the worst that can happen? I once packed my life into two suitcases and a savings account, and moved across the globe alone. I’ve stood up every time I’ve fallen. I’ve smiled after crying. I’ve moved back home when my family needed me, and now I’m ready once again to cross continents and explore the unknown.

If there’s one thing life has shown me, it’s that the worst thing that can happen isn’t failure but the disappointment of not trying. As long as I can start over, as long as I still have the courage to take one more step, then it’s always worth giving it a try.