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I, now 29, spent 2014 through 2019 studying and working abroad. While in Taiwan, I studied for three hours and worked 12 hours a day as a hotel receptionist. My job included two night shifts and three day shifts each week, paying NT$35 (US$1.1) an hour.

When I came back to Vietnam, I again had to work as a receptionist and housekeeper at a five-star hotel for VND8 million a month. I stayed in the role for more than a year.

When Ho Chi Minh City went into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic and hotel operations were disrupted, I switched to full-time freelance work and earned around VND12 million a month. The trade-off was working night shifts five days a week because my clients were based in the U.S.

After six months, I decided to change direction for the sake of my health and career growth. I switched to the expert network & consulting sector, starting out as a senior associate earning VND18 million monthly at a foreign company. Four years later, I am now a project manager earning around $1,700 a month, excluding bonuses.

Alongside my main job, I also started thinking about investing early. Even during my receptionist stint, I tried to save little by little to invest in crypto and funds, which eventually grew into a sizeable passive income.

I share my career journey to show that a degree from studying abroad does not automatically guarantee success. What matters more is having the right mindset toward creating value, building a career and accumulating wealth.

If you are proactive in learning and can prove your abilities, opportunities will eventually come. As for building wealth, the earlier you start, the better. Small savings built up over time can eventually turn into something meaningful, and their value will become clearer in the long run.

*This opinion was submitted by a reader and translated into English. Readers’ views are personal and do not necessarily match VnExpress’ viewpoints.