Many factors determine the choice of a major, a personal interest or passion in the topic, or a family decision. After several years however, when it’s time to choose a career, it becomes clear that a thorough understanding of the major is imperative right from the start. DTU is now offering an introductory course in Career Orientation and Entrepreneurship for all first-year majors and has so far received very positive feedback, preparing students to start up their own successful private businesses more effectively.
Proper career orientation provides a broader understanding of all fields
“When I began teaching first-year Pharmacology, I noticed that the classroom was very quiet and that there were always some students not paying attention, doing personal things,” explained lecturer Dr. Nguyen Minh Hung. “I asked them why and how much they knew about their specialty and if they knew what job they’d do on graduation. Many answered that they did, but a considerable number answered offhandedly that they didn’t. I thought that, if they aren’t given proper career orientation right from the start, disinterested students would never understand anything about their field and wouldn’t be motivated to study at all. However, just afterwards, when DTU announced a new career orientation program for first-year students, I was much happier. Everyone now understands the direction they have chosen, have study plans, and are able to orientate themselves in their long-term development.”
DTU now offers career orientation and startup programs to all students
The DTU career orientation curriculum is divided into two parts, Career Orientation 1 and Career Orientation 2. In each of these, a general overview is presented for each major, including the required community and job requirements and current opportunities. Time management, efficient study planning, goal-setting and life skills are also taught.
Meanwhile, students visit government agencies and local companies, which allow them to experience real-time work environments and learn about opportunities while still in their first year. Companies such as FPT, LogiGear, Enclave, MagRabbit, the InterContinental Sun Peninsula Resort and the Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa are typical long-term partners of the university. They all welcome the DTU career orientation program and agree that it is vital for students to get a clearer understanding of themselves, their fields of study and the labor market, to minimize the gap between a university education and the reality of a new job. At the same time, companies are to economize on retraining the new recruits.
DTU organizes career orientation and recruitment fairs for all, where students can meet local businesses. At the 2018 Danang Career Orientation and Recruitment Fair for Hospitality & Tourism students, held at DTU, Ms. Truong Thi Hong Hanh, Deputy-Director of the Danang Department of Tourism, emphasized that career orientation and recruitment fairs are absolutely necessary for companies to provide a basic understanding of their businesses and, at the same time, identify well-qualified, potential staff. Students then get a more comprehensive view of their majors, especially Hospitality & Tourism majors, which is a demanding field. They can then work enthusiastically on the path to successful careers.
Startups realize business ideas
Meeting with local companies has enabled students to come up with a variety of innovative and creative ideas. However, a university education alone is inadequate to start up a successful business. Experts stress that entrepreneurship is founded on subjective needs and requires several supporting factors. These include specialized knowledge, unique ideas, investment partners and social demands.
In order to bring this all together, DTU has created many startup-related activities and programs. Companies are invited to be consultants, and workshops and conferences are held to share their ideas and approach potential investors. DTU organizes an annual course, “Starting a Business” in collaboration with the Dien Dan Doanh Nghiep newspaper, which teaches how to select the most creative and feasible business ideas, and how to develop and commercialize them in the most efficient ways.
A team of DTU students finished in the top 7 of the 2019 Southeast Asia Hult Prize winners (above) and Ta Linh (first from right, below) worked on a group project on employment
The university Startup Center was founded to give startup advice and promote meaningful student startups to local companies and investors. DTU also holds startup contests, which have led to several projects becoming recognized for their practicality. For example, the project “Worky - software to connect restaurants and hotels with candidates to solve employment requirements” ended up in the top 7 finalists of the global 2019 Hult Prize Southeast Asia Startup competition.
Prior to that, Ta Linh, from Information Technology, launched three impressive and successful startups. The first was “cardplus.vn”, a digital services e-Commerce web page for automatic payment of telephone cards and game cards, using his own anti-virus software which he wrote in his first year and was later acquired by the Trustpay payment solutions company. Secondly, together with others, Linh developed the Homecares project for home healthcare, which won first prize at the 2016 Danang Startup Weekend, was implemented by the Homecares Health Company and went on to win an Innovative and Creative Business award from the ADB Bank. Homecares was one of three Vietnamese health organizations to take part in the Smart City contest in Taiwan. Third was Linh’s “vieclamdanang.vn, one” website, one of the most famous in Danang, which provides jobs for everyone, especially students.
(Media Center)