11
SPOTLIGHT
FEB 2015
UMP
大學廣場
Create and Define Our Own Success
Arnold Chan, Co-Founder of Teach4HK, CUHK Alumnus
I
n a financial city like Hong Kong, everyone
seems to equate a
“
respectable
”
and
“
successful
career
”
to a stable, high paying job. Bankers,
Doctors, Lawyers, Accountants are probably what
make your parents or your potential in-laws happy
when you are any one of them. So, I did almost what
other
“
outstanding
”
students do: picked a degree
programme that admitted the brightest students,
spent all my summers working as bank interns and
joined a prominent investment bank upon graduation.
I always strived for the very best and worked hard
to achieve what others believe is
“
success
”
. By 23,
I had a stable income and a promising career, but
then
“
what
´
s next?
”
was the question that always
popped up in my mind. Is being a successful banker
my life goal?
I grew up studying in a well-known local school
in Hong Kong. I have witnessed how my school,
unlike other renowned schools, refused to switch
to direct subsidized scheme, and continues to
provide quality education to nurture students from
all kinds of family background to future leaders. I
also have experienced how a good teacher can
help shape one’s character and good values. Thus,
I have always believed in the life changing impact
of education. Unfortunately, I did not opt to pursue
a teaching career but have always wanted to give
back. Apart from part-time volunteering, I never
figured out a way how education can intersect with
my finance career and had never been courageous
enough to quit a stable career to pursue my passion.
My MBA changes everything. In one of my favorite
classes, we were asked to write a memoir of ourselves
as i f we have
already graduated
f o r 1 0 y e a r s .
This class has
been running for
many years and
during the class,
ou r p r o f es so r
showed us the
same assignment
alumni did when
they were still
a t b u s i n e s s
school. And then
she showed us
the memoir the same batch of alumni wrote after they
graduated for 10 years. One alumna said she wanted
to be a career woman, and after 10 years she quitted
her job because she became a full-time mum as to
take care of her handicapped child, but still considered
herself having a fruitful life. Another said he wanted to
be a world-class financier. He was fired quickly after
graduation but stepped out of his comfort zone, and
eventually started a successful company. The lesson
behind this is that life is always unpredictable and it is
important to pursue your own passion as success is not
only defined by one dimension only: everyone should
create and define his or her own success. Putting it back
to my own context, do I want my success to be defined
by others? i.e. success = a lucrative career?
The answer is NO. And here I am: despite opposition
from mentors and family, I am taking a gap year from
school and starting an education nonprofit, Teach4HK:
