Around her, 23-year-old colleagues wear headphones and type rapidly on their keyboards. Occasionally, they offer Duyen advice on font choices.

For the past two weeks, Duyen, an intern at a company in Thanh Xuan district, has been responsible for building a TikTok channel, creating content, and generating reports for the operations department.

The videos Duyen has been working on with her fellow interns, all in their early twenties, have gone viral, attracting hundreds of thousands of views and comments. Many viewers express admiration for her determination to "defy age stereotypes, step outside her comfort zone, and start anew."

Pham Thi Duyen at her company's office in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi, on 29/5. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Pham Thi Duyen at her company's office in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi, on 29/5. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Duyen, a graduate of Hanoi National Economics University, worked as an accountant for 17 years. In late 2021, amidst the pandemic and economic downturn, she lost her job. "It was the beginning of four tumultuous years," she says.

Her job search revealed a harsh reality: most employers automatically rejected applicants over 35, assuming they lacked the flexibility and adaptability of younger Gen Z candidates. Even friends with two university degrees struggled to find work.

Duyen took on several temporary positions but found herself unable to adapt. At home, she cared for her two children, aged 15 and 12. In the evenings, she began researching marketing online, discovering a newfound interest in the field.

In early April, she stumbled upon an internship posting for a company developing marketing courses. Although the posting specified "students," Duyen spent days researching the company and ultimately applied.

She revamped her CV, watching YouTube tutorials and using Canva. With limited work experience to list, she focused on writing a compelling four-page cover letter, detailing her career journey since losing her job. She acknowledged her lack of experience but emphasized her eagerness to learn and work in a new field.

In early May, she was accepted, joining 14 other Gen Z interns. "On my first day, I realized I was older than my colleagues' mothers," Duyen recalls. Undeterred, she embraced the challenge.

Her biggest hurdle was TikTok, an app she rarely used. Tasked with building a channel, creating content, and designing visuals, she found herself constantly asking colleagues about fonts and Googling slang. She watched hundreds of videos to understand trending content. Tasks that took her colleagues 30 minutes often required several hours of her time. Creating a 1-3 minute video could take an entire day.

Pham Thi Duyen at her company's office in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Pham Thi Duyen at her company's office in Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Her children were surprised to see her each evening, hunched over her phone, editing and adding captions to TikTok videos. "The editing requires such precise movements, one wrong touch and everything is lost. There were times I just wanted to throw my phone away," Duyen admits.

After more than 20 attempts, she mastered the editing software. By the second week, her questions became less frequent.

"I'm much slower, so I have to compensate with diligence," she says. She often leaves the office around 8 pm and sometimes works past midnight.

23-year-old Kha Nhien, the department manager, explains that Duyen joined a cohort of dozens of student interns, each responsible for producing around 60 videos per month. Despite the steeper learning curve, Duyen consistently meets her deadlines. In addition to TikTok content creation, she also handles customer service.

Initially, Duyen felt overwhelmed managing 150 students, monitoring their channels, tracking viral video metrics, and answering questions across 15 small groups.

"Despite the workload, she never complains or gives up," Nhien says. Sometimes, Duyen submits reports at 2 am, even preparing extra reports for the mentor team and assistants, exceeding expectations.

According to Nhien, Duyen is a unique member of the company. Last year, their oldest intern was born in 1998. Yet, Duyen seamlessly integrates with the Gen Z team. "We deeply admire her determination," Nhien says.

Ngoc Ngan