In this interview series, our colleague Saaya Miyazaki introduces professionals from diverse industries and explores the stories behind how they built their careers. Through these conversations, I hope to inspire you to take the next step in your own journey—whether that means embracing new experiences, taking bold career leaps, or finding creative ways to land your dream job.

For my second interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Annie Hoang, a Learning Designer, Educator, and Employer Branding Strategist based in Tokyo.

Annie is dedicated to creating spaces where people can connect, learn, and grow together. Having successfully transitioned from Business to Design, she now empowers students to embrace their personal stories, build meaningful connections, and craft careers they love in Creative, Tech, and Design.

As the founder of CREABA (cree-a-ba), a creative educational platform, Annie helps creative minds gain confidence and pursue their passions through workshops and experiential learning programs. With a mission to “pay it forward” and a belief in finding “magic in the mundane,” she has mentored over 600 students and professionals from 17+ countries through Design Thinking workshops and career development programs.

Behind her passion for education and mentorship lies a journey filled with challenges, transitions, and moments of growth.

Let’s dive into Annie’s inspiring career story!

Career Origins and a Life-Changing Encounter

A Volunteer Project That Sparked a New Journey

In high school in Vietnam, she was a shy student, lacking confidence in herself. That all changed when her mother encouraged her to participate in a volunteer project. Through this experience, she helped with English-Vietnamese and a bit of Japanese translation for a Keio University lab initiative that travelled to Vietnam to build classrooms for children with diverse abilities.

“I was only studying Japanese casually—twice a week, just for fun. I never thought about going to Japan,” she recalls. But the dedication of the Japanese students she worked with left a profound impression.

“They didn’t speak Vietnamese, yet they were eager to learn. They asked me things like, ‘How do you say cup?’ or ‘How do you say hello?’ They came twice a year, year after year, fully committed to understanding our culture and helping out,” she explains.

This exposure to Japanese students who were challenging themselves in an unfamiliar environment made her rethink her possibilities. “I wanted to do the same—to go where they came from and immerse myself in new experiences.”

First Steps: From Vietnam to Japan

Studying in Oita

Her true motivation to move to Japan came from meeting real people in Vietnam. “If I hadn’t met them, I wouldn’t have even considered living in Japan,” she admits.

After two years of preparation, she enrolled at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) in Oita Prefecture.

“Living in Oita was a unique experience. It’s the countryside of Japan, so I got to immerse myself in local culture, like onsen. But at the same time, APU was incredibly international—almost 100 nationalities were represented. It was a fascinating contrast between traditional Japanese life and a diverse global student body.”

At APU, she studied business administration, focusing on organizational behaviour and marketing. However, she quickly realized she wanted to gain hands-on creative experience, leading her to pursue internships.

Her first internship was at a YouTube media company in Tokyo, “Tokyo Creative”, which introduced her to Japan’s digital creative industry. “Before moving to Japan, I watched their videos to understand Japanese culture, so I wanted to be part of what they were doing.”

When she reached out to them, they initially said they weren’t hiring. But she didn’t give up. “They told me to send my resume anyway. So I did, but I also recorded a self-introduction video to show my enthusiasm.” Her proactive approach paid off—she was accepted as an intern.

First Big Success and Lessons Learned

Discovering UX Design in Canada

A major turning point came during her seven-month exchange program in Canada, where she studied business technology management.

Initially, she wanted to join a film club, inspired by her interest in YouTube content creation. However, when she found out there wasn’t one, she stumbled upon something unexpected—a UX (User Experience) Club.

“I had no idea what UX was at the time, but the club president, who was also Japanese, invited me to check it out. That first meeting changed everything for me. They were doing ideation, wireframing—it was such an exciting process, making interesting things with interesting people.”

Through UX, she discovered the perfect balance between business, technology, and creativity.

She soon joined her first hackathon, an intensive event where participants develop a product in 24 to 48 hours and present it.

“I had no idea what to expect, but it was an incredibly inclusive and diverse space. People from all backgrounds—physics students, and high schoolers—came together to collaborate. My team created a speech recognition product for children with autism.”

This experience solidified her passion for UX and product design.

However, upon returning to Japan, she realized UX was still an emerging field. “I searched ‘UI/UX in Japan,’ and barely anything came up. There was no clear pathway to finding UX jobs or internships.”

Determined to bridge this gap, she started writing blogs and making videos about her UX journey. This led to speaking opportunities at universities, organizations, and even companies, where she shared insights on career development and design thinking.

Taking Bold Career Leaps at My Mizu.

Looking Ahead: Future Vision and Advice

After returning to Japan, she continued searching for opportunities in UX design. That’s when she discovered mymizu, a social impact startup promoting sustainability.

She saw a LinkedIn job post for a UI designer, but knowing she lacked experience, she took a bold approach:

“I told them, ‘I don’t know UI, but I know UX. I’ve done a hackathon in Canada – Design thinking workshops—I’m eager to learn. If you take a risk with me, I’ll prove myself.’”

Although she wasn’t hired as a UI designer, her passion stood out. Instead, mymizu created a UX design internship specifically for her.

Working closely with a mentor who is a product manager, she learned the fundamentals of product strategy, defining requirements, and measuring success.

Over time, she took on more leadership responsibilities and now consults and leads the Product Design side at mymizu.

Looking back, she credits her growth to taking bold career leaps—whether it was moving abroad, applying for jobs in unconventional ways, or stepping outside her comfort zone to create her own opportunities.

“My advice for aspiring creatives is simple: Don’t wait for opportunities—create them. Apply even if you don’t meet all the requirements. Show your commitment in creative ways, like recording a video or starting your passion projects. And most importantly, put yourself in environments where you can learn from others.”

Her story doesn’t end here—next, we’ll explore her work after graduation and how she’s making an impact in UX and beyond.  Thank you for reading and stay tuned for Part 2! – Saaya Miyazaki

Cogs is an executive search and recruitment agency specialising in connecting creative-minded individuals with global career opportunities.

For further reading and resources, check out our other blogs: Cogs Agency.

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