Newbie 101: Gaining experience & starting your career

There are countless opportunities for newbies to explore their potential while gaining valuable experience, no matter how small or big. 

Volunteering is one of the easiest ways for students to get involved in activities at RMIT Vietnam, across different departments, schools, events, and organisations such as RED or SAT. In many cases, you do not even need a CV to start. 

Although volunteering may seem like a lower-commitment role compared to other positions, it offers unique advantages. Volunteers often have the chance to rotate across different responsibilities and engage with a wide range of people, cultures, and events. Explore every possibility without boxing yourself into a single path. You might discover strengths and passions you never knew you had.

For Phuong Linh, a member of the Buddy Team, Buddy Team, this became one of the most meaningful parts of her experience. Through the programme, she had the opportunity to connect with many international students from different backgrounds, learning about their cultures while building friendships along the way. Beyond organising events or creating content, these interactions helped her develop the confidence and cross-cultural communication skills that go far beyond what she learns in her Digital Marketing classes. 

Student clubs often require a higher level of commitment, but they also allow students to take ownership of projects and grow within a team over a longer period of time. At RMIT Vietnam, there are more than 50 student-run clubs across a wide range of fields, including sports, culture, and academics in 2 campuses.

By joining a club, students can explore their interests while working closely with the same team. This environment helps members develop stronger collaboration skills, understand how organisations operate, and contribute to larger initiatives.

Beyond the work itself, club activities such as internal training sessions, bonding events, lunches, and outings also add more colour to student life, creating memorable experiences and friendships along the way. More importantly, clubs provide a space where students can experiment with ideas, take on leadership roles, and gradually shape their professional identity. 

Unlike WIL courses in your program, competitions allow students to collaborate with others, understand how projects run, and tackle real-life problems within a short time frame. Depending on your field and interests, many universities and large organisations regularly host competitions to discover emerging talents. 

Performing well in these settings can help you gain visibility and, in some cases, even open doors to future internships or long-term opportunities.

Remember, what matters most is not the title of the role, but what you learn from it. Each experience helps you build practical skills that are difficult to gain from lectures alone. Additionally, the journey may not always be linear. It can come with ups and downs or unexpected detours, but those messy moments often become the ones where you learn and grow the most. 

Rejection is not feeling good at all. Not every application will lead to an opportunity, especially at the beginning. This is a normal part of growth at any stage of life. However, each attempt offers valuable feedback and helps you understand what you can improve.

Learning from rejection means taking a moment to reflect rather than seeing it as failure. It can encourage you to develop new skills, explore different interests, and approach the next opportunity with greater confidence. Sometimes it simply means recognising that a role may not be the right fit and having the courage to move on.

Rejection does not define your worth. Instead, it can become a redirection that helps you move closer to the opportunities that truly suit you.

Experience also grows through the people you meet along the way. Conversations with seniors, alumni, or peers can open doors to opportunities you might not have discovered on your own.

By attending workshops, joining campus events, and engaging with student communities, you can gradually expand your network. Don’t miss out on any opportunities or events available on campus that are featured in the monthly What’s On calendar. 

Over time, these connections often become valuable sources of advice, mentorship, and future collaboration

You can also explore certified part-time jobs or short gigs at RMIT Vietnam Career Online Portal. For many students, these early roles become a bridge between university life and the professional world as they introduce students to real workplace expectations, from meeting deadlines to taking responsibility for their work.

At the same time, it gives you hands-on experience, even in roles outside your major, like tutoring or teaching assistance, where you can build soft skills, strengthen your portfolio, and earn some income along the way.

Finally, careers are not built overnight, and they rarely start with a perfect plan. They begin with curiosity, small steps, and the courage to say yes to new opportunities. Every project, volunteer role, and conversation becomes part of a journey of growth. In the long run, what defines your path is not the experience you start with, but the willingness to keep learning and moving forward.