Name: Amy Nguyen
Year: Alumni
Undergraduate Major: Information Systems and Marketing
Campus Involvement: CHAARG, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kolodzik Business Scholars, Sigma Phi Women’s Honorary
Her Campus University of Cincinnati: Hi Amy! Thanks for taking time to talk with me today. I am really excited to learn more about life after college! First, what is your current job title and place of work?
Amy Nguyen: I have two jobs currently: full time, I work at Fifth Third Bank in their IT Leadership Program. My role is a business analyst. Part-time, I am a barre3 instructor at barre3 Mariemont.
HCUC: What are your day-to-day responsibilities in this position?
AN: At Fifth Third, I am responsible for working with our business partners to execute and implement any project that requires technology. They can be projects that make their jobs easier or projects that deliver products that we offer to our customers. I document what our requirements are and then work with technical developers to execute on those requirements.
At barre3, I teach about 4 classes per week. I am responsible for creating the class playlist, choreography, flow, and making sure our clients are safe and motivated.
HCUC: Were there any aspects of your job that were unexpected?
AN: There was a lot that was unexpected about my job. I think the most eye-opening aspect (this is so obvious now) was how much technology affects everything that a business does and specifically the impact of technology within a bank. Our employees need technology to do their jobs; our customers need technology to access their money. This presents countless divisions of IT, applications, and types of roles for people working in tech.
HCUC: What classes do you think prepared you the most for the position you are in today? What extracurriculars, if any, prepared you for the position you are in today?
AN: I think my capstone classes helped me the most, Business Intelligence and Marketing Strategy. They both took the fine details that we learned in the individual classes, pieced them together, and made me really start to look outward to the real world and what these two degrees meant in a business.
I think being in CHAARG and Kappa both helped me today. I held leadership roles in both and they taught me how to be organized and how to effectively communicate with others. Each organization had different types of women within them, exposing me to ways to handle conflict and uncomfortable situations effectively. I think through both of them, I really realized my passion for working with others and the challenge but also gratification I get from being on a team.
HCUC: Looking back at your college experience, would you do anything different? If you could give your freshman self one piece of advice what would it be?
AN: I would tell myself to use my school breaks to explore or travel or do something! One thing that I struggled with when transitioning from college to work life was how much free time I lost. I will never have another three month long break from responsibilities until I retire (AH!), so I wish I would’ve really taken advantage of that free time to do something I can’t do now.
HCUC: What is one thing you wish you would’ve learned in college, but didn’t?
AN: I wish I would have learned how to negotiate my salary. All they ever told us was that we need to negotiate because companies will always offer on the low range of their budget for you but we never discussed how. What is an appropriate amount to ask for? When is it appropriate to do so? How do you ensure you are not being ignorant and oblivious with your ask? Negotiating is an art and it must be done so with intention.
HCUC: Do you miss college at all? What is your favorite memory from your time at UC?
AN: I do miss it sometimes! College was insanely fun for me. I miss the free time I had every day and living with all of my friends in the Kappa house. I also really love looking back on the different ski club and bowl game trips I went on.
HCUC: What is your proudest #adulting moment, now that you are out of college?
AN: Becoming a barre3 instructor was a really proud moment in my life. It was hard work and very uncomfortable at times but I am glad that I stayed with it because teaching brings me immense joy and balance within my life. I can’t imagine my weeks without coming to the studio and being a part of the barre3 community.
Schedule a barre3 class with Amy here!