Ms. Susanna Chiu MH JP, Executive Director & COO of Bonjour Holdings Ltd, Ms. Lusan Hung, Director of Higuma Consulting Limited and Ms. Joanne Lau, an accountant of Ernst & Young shared the information on the field of accounting. They shared their experience, values and the skill set that students are required to have. There are two types of accounting--tax and audit. For tax, accountants would have to review the financial statements and assess tax liability. Accountants that focus on tax would have to learn about law. For audit, accountants would always have to travel to different clients and corporations to review their financial statements. To be a Hong Kong Certified Public Accountant (CPA), students would have to get the qualifications through the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants (HKICPA) Qualification Programme (QP), students that study non-accounting majors can also become a CPA through the new QP. QP would equip students with the accounting knowledge, skills and practical experience to become a professional accountant. QP is an international qualification. Accountants with the qualification can also work overseas. Also, there are very diverse pathways for students studying accounting and QP that they may also serve in other fields as the knowledge, skills and experiences are widely-used and applicable for all different occupations.

Ms. Chiu, Ms. Hung and Ms. Lau also shared with us their advice on pursuing accounting as a career. Ms Lau thinks that students could gain many experiences and be exposed to different areas of work in an internship. And Ms Chiu, Ms Hung and Ms Lau think that despite hard work, we should not be afraid of it, as there would be many colleagues working together and we can learn many things such as interpersonal skills, integrity, project management and leadership skills. That we should always think out of the box and that apart from doing the daily routine we should learn and read more different kinds of information for reference. As students, we need to be more proactive and treasure the time to build up ourselves and do not hesitate to ask questions. The most important thing is that higher risk will lead to higher returns so do not be afraid of failure because everyone fails when they start their career path.

Moreover, we should always have a plan for our future, no matter if it is short-term or long-term. We need to be flexible and revise plans to meet the ever-changing environment, so that we should keep on observing the trend; otherwise we will be left behind. Also, when we receive a complaint from the employers one day, the first thing we have to do is reflect. We should consider what we have done wrong and how to resolve it in order to catch up with the progress.

Miss Amy Siu is an university administrator in The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She is also a manager of Global engagement and Greater China Affairs.

Miss Amy Siu mentioned that actually being a university administrator is similar to being a civil servant.The promotion ladder is also structured as there are opportunities for internal promotion, to other institutions or non-profit organisations.

Additionally, Miss Amy Siu also mentioned that if students are interested in being ]university administrators, we should understand the development and needs of the entire world, broaden our horizons and participate in university organizations and activities, such as ambassador programmes, or being student assistants. Besides, it is important to strengthen the sense of belonging to the university, understand the work of various departments of the university, and pay attention to the requirements of various departments that have openings, and the most important of all is always be prepared.

Good communication skills with reasonable written and spoken English and Cantonese and Putonghua are required for this profession. The ideal candidate should be self-motivated with a strong sense of responsibility; able to work both independently and in a team, and capable of multi-tasking and meeting tight deadlines. Applicants should have a bachelor’s degree with at least one year of work experience preferably in conducting stakeholder feedback surveys in the higher education setting. Good interpersonal and communication skills, as well as good written and spoken English and Chinese, are vital. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview and written test.

Dr Lee Tse Kwan Louisa shared with us the field of dentistry, gave some advice and guidelines to our students who are interested in becoming a dentist.

Dr. Lee completed her Bachelor of Dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong, BDS (HKU) in 2003. She then worked as a junior hospital dental officer in the Prince Philip Dental Hospital for a year. After that, she obtained her Master of Prosthodontics (HKU) from the School of Dentistry in the University of Hong Kong in 2006. Since then, Dr. Lee started her private practice in 2006 and has been a part-time clinical lecturer in the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong.

During the talk, she told us about different aspect in dentistry, including periodontics, conservative dentistry (restoration), endodontic (root canal treatment), prosthodontics (crown bridge denture implant maxillofacial), oral and maxillofacial surgery (extraction) and orthodontics (wear braces)

Also, she shared with us the qualities we should have if we study dentistry. We need to have undivided attention and our hands should be trained to be agile and dexterous through drawing, sewing or knitting. Having good communication skills and also being honest are also key to success in any profession.

A final reminder from Dr Lee is that dentistry is a combination of art and science, and studying dentistry is a lifelong learning process.

Ms Judy Chung from HKSAR Government shared with us the field of human resources and training. A Chief Training Officer has a great diversity of job areas. They deliver training programs which enhance staff’s leadership and teamwork skills. They organise different staff training programmes, for example, interacting with CEOs of innovative startups and sharing experience, so that staff can learn from different people and promote better self development. Apart from organising training activities, they also provide consulting services, which formulate training plans and brainstorming sessions to propose the most suitable plan to train the staff, and then they will observe the working process and conduct interviews.

Training officers have ample opportunities to learn as they attend talks of different industries and know more about the operation systems of different companies. It can definitely enhance their knowledge and confidence. On top of that, they can have a better understanding of themselves. It also provides many opportunities for them to work and cooperate with other people, as they will be able to work at different places, for instance, exchange programs in Mainland China . Hence, they can broaden their horizons and develop good communication skills.

Ms Chung mentioned that it takes a lot of hard work to be a training officer and one should keep learning different things. Thus, perseverance and passion, embedded in the Sacred Heart Spirit, are very important in this job. Without this spirit, it is hard to perform well at work as it is the key to success.

Ms Betty Lau graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from HKUST, majoring in Marketing. She started her career in Food & Beverages retail chains in Delifrance and Maxims and worked there for 4 years. Then, she entered the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) field in Lucullus & worked in a distributor DKSH for over 15 years. Recently, Ms Lau joined Lindt & Sprüngli Asia-Pacific as an Area Manager, a regional role overseeing both sales & marketing of LINDT chocolate in five Asian countries, namely Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar & Cambodia.

Ms Lau shared a book How Brands Grow saying that it is a must-read for marketers. She revealed that sales and marketing are two different departments at work. The Sales department mainly focuses on communication with the client while the Marketing department mainly promotes products strategically by developing overall marketing campaigns. Throughout the years, she engaged in the marketing of Fast Moving Consumer Goods, all related to our daily lives, including nutrition, snacks and confectionery, beauty and personal care, etc. The current trend of marketing transactions is e-commerce.

Ms Lau shared that as a Sacred Heartist, versatility is one of the qualities. Despite the numerous challenges at work, staying positive, being ready to explore and seek new experiences and being proactive to suggest solutions are significant in building resilience. Perseverance, continued effort and determination to work towards the goal, courage and patience are qualities that shall turn challenges into success.

Ms. Sophie Lee from the Hospital Authority shared with us the field of speech therapy. The daily routine of speech therapists is to provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment for their patients who suffer from speech and language disorders, swallowing disorders and other communication difficulties. They serve a wide range of patients from young infants to the elderly in different clinical settings and institutions. Speech therapists work on various occasions, including the Child Assessment Centre of the Department of Health and some government-subsidised organisations such as Special Care Centres, Integrated Child Care Centres, etc. Besides, speech therapists also work in the Education Bureau, particularly in special schools, mainstream primary and secondary schools, and local universities.

Becoming a speech therapist requires several qualities. Besides good academic results, one must have good communication skills and must be caring and have patience. These qualities are essential in this field as speech therapists serve patients who need special care.

Perseverance is one of the elements of the Sacred Heart Spirit. Speech therapists have to deal with patients who suffer from long-term diseases which take time to recover. They accompany them during hard times and propose different treatments to alleviate their conditions progressively. Therefore, speech therapists indeed show great perseverance in their daily routine.

Nevertheless, many people believe being a speech therapist is a boring vocation as they always work indoors. Contrarily, Ms. Lee expressed that this job provides her with lots of unforgettable experiences. As Ms. Lee has to meet and communicate with her patients frequently, close relationships develop imperceptibly. Whenever her patients overcome their illnesses and send thank you cards to her, the satisfaction gained is incomparable. And, this is the reason why Ms. Lee continues to work as a speech therapist.