False starts: when your education isn’t making the cut

When Vinh Nguyen immigrated to Canada from Vietnam 21 years ago, her future career path seemed obvious. Aptitude tests revealed strong computer and math skills, which pointed to a career in accounting. It seemed like the perfect fit. Sure enough, Vinh quickly ended up with a secure job in accounting and computers, working for a local high school in the Kitchener area.
But something was missing.
Vinh desperately wanted to learn to speak fluent English, and although she enjoyed working with numbers and computers, her job in accounting didn't involve much human interaction. She had already invested time and money in her career, but decided to take a new direction and go back to school to learn a new trade.
"I thought about what would force me to speak and practice my English every day, all day, and decided hairdressing might be a good way to reach that goal," says Vinh.
After graduating from hairdressing, Vinh found that her new job in a hair salon was an excellent way to fine-tune her English skills. Instead of sitting in front of a computer all day, she was communicating with customers, learning how to ask good questions and then really listen in turn as her clients explained exactly what they wanted. Much to Vinh's surprise, hairdressing quickly became much more than a tool for language development. It became a passion.
I learned Vinh's story piece by piece, over the course of two years, after she became my family's hairdresser shortly after we moved to the Kitchener area. Born and raised in Vietnam, Vinh was a teenager when she decided to immigrate to North America. It wasn't easy.
Following the Vietnam War, Vinh was part of the mass departure of Vietnamese refugees from Communist-controlled Vietnam. Like many others before her, Vinh's first attempt didn't succeed. Or her second. Or her third. Twice she ended up in prison for trying to leave Vietnam. It would take Vinh almost a decade - and numerous attempts - before she was able to successfully leave Vietnam.
Suffering from hunger and intense thirst, living conditions were horrible on those overcrowded boats, a journey which sometimes took weeks or even months. Many people didn't survive, while others were robbed, raped, or worse. Vinh witnessed many horrors while trying to escape, and although she has somehow managed to put most of it behind her, she has never forgotten those she left behind.
"I don't know why I didn't get shot or die," says Vinh, who sat just inches away from others who were shot and killed. Yet Vinh says she wasn't afraid during her numerous near-misses. "I decided that I'd either be killed and then, if I was dead, wouldn't know anything any more, anyway. Or I'd be lucky and make it."
When she finally did make it to Canada, Vinh didn't have any family or friends to support her. But she was willing, even eager, to work hard and immerse herself into her new country. Number one among her goals was learning how to speak English. "And I knew working with the public, forcing myself to speak English, was the only way I was really going to learn the language."
It's now 21 years later and, in addition to learning how to speak the language of her adopted country, Vinh also owns a salon, "Beauty Hair Creations," in Kitchener. She admits the journey from Vietnam to where she is today hasn't always been an easy one, but she has no regrets. Now a mother of two, Vihn sees only a bright future ahead for her own children.
Vinh also doesn't consider those early years she spent in accounting and computers as wasted. They're skills she's been able to put to good use in her current career as a business owner and entrepreneur. "I plan to expand [my business] in the future," says Vinh, who now dreams of moving to a larger shop.
Vinh agrees that sometimes an education can take you to an unexpected place.
But it also takes the right person to recognize when it's time to cut your losses and not be afraid to explore new possibilities.



