A personal README file about a designer who carried his dad's architect dream, then accidentally ended up with a Foorigma Plan — $15/month.
My origin story
Before I became a product designer, I was supposed to become an architect. It wasn't a dramatic “I was born to be” story, just a personal one.
My dad really wanted to become an architect. But life doesnt follow the way he wants, he missed the chance.
So I decided to carry his dream and studied architecture at Hanoi Architectural University. Partly for myself, partly for him. For a while, it looked like the plan was working. I designed Rehab CampMuseumHotel ...
Then in my 3rd year, I got my first UI/UX design job with salary of 1.5 million VND ($60) per month in accidentally. A very small number, but somehow, it became a very big turning point.
How I survive now
The very 1st $60/month job didn't scare me off, but it taught me a lot. I learned Figma by Googling (actually Adobe XD first), shipped things by guessing, and presented designs to stakeholders while quietly hoping nobody would ask too many questions.
Nearly 8 years in product design, with the last 4 focused on Web3 and DeFi. Looking back, it’s been an incredible journey - I've loved every moment and every person I’ve met along the way.
It's not the career my dad dreamed of. But it's the one that somehow kept finding me — and at some point, I stopped running from it, even when AI is occupying the whole ecosystem.
Architecture still haunts me
The funny thing is, I never really left architecture. I just changed materials.
Before, I designed with walls, doors, rooms, and circulation for users who got lost even when the exit sign was glowing. Now, I design buttons, cards, flows, states for users who definitely did not read the tooltip.
Architecture taught me to think about space. Product design taught me to think about digital space. Both are about helping people move from one point to another without feeling lost, confused, or personally attacked by the layout.
Maybe my dad's dream didn't disappear. It just got a different type of blueprint.