He describes himself as “carefree.” A guy that just wants to “go with the flow.” But what one learns from Leo Nguyen is that despite having turned the ripe age of 21 last November, he is still young. Entering the prime of his life dealing with the scare of entering the post-college world with a degree in Advertising.
“For me, the thought of being in my career right away … right after doing over literally 20 years of school. That’s just mortifying,” Nguyen said.
This is where the optimist in life would typically pipe in and say “just take time off after school!” but it’s never that simple.
Nguyen’s parents are Vietnamese immigrants having moved to America after the Vietnam War. His father, Loc, is a senior manufacturing engineer and his mother, Lisa, works on an assembly line.
“My dad has the mentality of ‘I came to this country knowing no English and now I am an engineer, providing for my family. There’s no reason [Leo] shouldn’t do that,'” Nguyen said.
“You know, typical Asian parent stuff,” he said with a smirk and laugh.
Leo, being a Vietnamese American may have an added pressure from the mentality of his father but it’s a fear that most, if not all, college students can relate to.
The idea of missing out on some of life’s best experiences because society believes you should begin a career right after college. Knowing if you decide to go down the career path at age 21, 22 or 23 that you might be wasting the “prime” ages of life behind a computer working on an Indesign layout.
Of course, to many, designing pages on Indesign or tinkering with photos on Photoshop is what they love to do. But for many, specifically in the University of Oregon Journalism school, is it? Is this what we are supposed to love to do?
“I keep hearing guest speakers say, ‘If you want to be happy in life you need to find a career that you’re passionate about, that you would do even if you weren’t paid to do it,'” Nguyen said.
If he had it his way, Leo would be playing basketball. More than likely for his hometown team the Portland Trail Blazers.
For now, the plan involves graduating with the Advertising major, but then relax. Travel.
His eyes were opened when he visited his parents native country his sophomore year of high school.
“It showed me how much of a bubble we’re in [in the United States],” he said, “which to a certain extent is okay, but I want to know what life is like outside of [the U.S.].”
There is just so much more in this world than what we know. In the Journalism, many get to learn how to tell the stories of those that live those other lives.
But Nguyen’s fear is limiting himself from living one of those other lives. Experiencing more than what he knows now, especially having seen another country’s ideals firsthand.
In many countries, the idea of growing up in school, going to college, and beginning a career is not the norm, Nguyen said.
So the next three and a half terms in school is about all that’s certain for Leo, the oldest of five siblings.
Who knows where he’ll go after walking off the stage.
Sometimes in life, not every question needs an answer.
