Mr G C Emerson

I came to Hong Kong and St Paul’s College in 1964, from New York, to teach English, History and Biblical Knowledge. There were several British teachers on the staff then, and I was the only American. At that time not many St Paul’s students went overseas to study. However, there were a few each year and they required letters to be written and application forms to be filled in. Occasionally advice was sought for choosing schools in America, but usually the parents had already decided this, I discovered. The Principal then, Rev Geoffrey Speak, asked me as an American to handle guidance matters for the United States. I was happy to handle guidance matters for America.

I had never heard the term “Careers Master” before coming to Hong Kong. American schools have a Guidance Counselor, similar to a Careers Master. It wasn’t until years later that most schools in Hong Kong created a position called Careers Master.

In 1984, after teaching for 20 years at St Paul’s and serving as Vice Principal from 1973 to 1984, I resigned, returned to America. After a few months I was offered a chance to become a tour guide in China, a most interesting experience, but I really wanted to teach.

Fortunately I had kept in touch with St Paul’s while working in China, and the then Principal Mr W.H. Ha, who succeeded Rev Speak, agreed to take me back as an English teacher. Principal Ha appointed me to be the Careers Master. By that time, about 1990, 1997 was getting near, and many more St Paul’s students were going overseas for study and emigration.

The role of Careers Master has expanded a lot since I first joined the College. In the 1960s, most St Paul’s students expected to go to the University of Hong Kong or get a job after leaving the school. There were not many choices then, but by 1990, there were many more further study options and opportunities for St Paul’s graduates. So in addition to giving advice about overseas studies and handling applications for overseas, I saw the need for providing more guidance. I had to learn more about opportunities for our graduates. So I invited alumni to return and give talks to the students about different careers, arranged outside visits concerning careers and further study. For example, I recall taking students to the then new University of Science and Technology at Clear Water Bay. (“Oh, so far away,” I recall students used to complain. They of course only wanted to cross the street to HKU.)

While I maintained ties with British schools, as an American I naturally fostered close ties with American schools, both at the secondary level and university level. At the time, American schools were very keen (as I believe they are today) to enrol HK students, so many American admissions officers visited HK. I often welcomed them to St Paul’s to talk with me and meet prospective students. Some of the officers visited Hong Kong and St Paul’s annually and as a result we became personal friends and I would return their visits when I was in America. To this day, 21 years after retiring, whenever I am in America, I have lunch in Vermont with a retired head of an American school where several St Paul’s students studied. Personal relationships are so important and meaningful, I believe.

Since retiring in 2000, there have of course been many changes of all kinds in study and employment fields and opportunities. I do get asked by parents and students for advice from time to time and my advice doesn’t change. The motto of the College in America where I studied for four years, Hamilton College, a small liberal arts school in upstate New York, is “Know Thyself”. I believe in this. Students should do all they can to understand themselves. Find out information using every possible means, and ask advice from many different sources including of course family and school. I would still tell students to remember that their choice of further study after St Paul’s and their eventual career is going to be with them for probably more than 40 years. Listen to others but act according to your own desires. It seems there are more opportunities today for young people than ever before. The challenges certainly are great, but students can feel fortunate that they have studied in as caring a college as St Paul’s.

Mr C L Wong

A person’s path changes with every decision he or she makes; the same is true for one’s career path. Though not the only factor in play, our decisions today shape our career paths tomorrow. These decisions may include reading a book, attending a talk, learning a skill, helping a person, gaining new experiences, reflecting on the past, dreaming about the future, etc. All these contribute to the person we will become and prepare us for the roles we will assume in our careers and in life.

We may not be ready now for the roles we will play one year, five years, and certainly not ten years down the road, but between now and then, there is time to fill in gaps in knowledge, skills, experience, and personal qualities, and prepare ourselves.

One small step at a time, one small decision at a time, we will be ready for bigger steps and more important decisions both in our careers and in life.

Mr W I Yu

Career and life planning is not a peripheral component in the education at St. Paul’s College. It is an essential part of the school curriculum: there are, across all forms, systemic life education lessons and diverse career programmes. They effectively assist students in identifying their strengths and talents, setting academic and career goals, and pursuing them during their school years and beyond.

Career and life planning at secondary school level is not just about helping students match their talents and interests with their future choice of study or work, or teaching students how to write dazzling personal statements and college application essays.

Career and life planning itself is a discipline where there is a body of skills and knowledge – for example, soft and hard skills, metacognitive and self-efficacy strategies – which students need to acquire for a fulfilling life and career in their futures.

The goal of the Career and Life Planning Team is always a lofty one. We aim to develop and expand our students’ capacities for self-reflection and decision-making, which enable them to find meaning and purpose, as early as possible, not only in their academic pursuits but also holistically in their lives.

As educators, we endeavour to facilitate Paulines in this ongoing, life-long ‘meaning discovery’ process. We aspire to kindle their passion, help them translate their passion into a profession, and if possible, make them envisage their professions as a vocation with a mission to contribute to the local community and beyond – and ultimately for the common good of humanity.

Mr W F Ryan

Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow: Careers and Life Planning Education at St. Paul’s College

The St. Paul’s College Careers and Life Planning Team has long been integrally involved in helping students with decision making, goal setting, adaptation to change, and sourcing the most relevant information before making a decision about their future. This process is a critical part of each student’s development and assists in the process of making informed choices about career opportunities. This is aided by a self-directed search wherein from the junior forms upwards, students are given a chance to define their goals and career inclination in an articulated system through a range of service providers.

SPC has a rich history of involving the alumni as a key stakeholder in this process. The Mentorship programme has been instrumental over the past 20 years in linking SPC students to the ‘real world’ or choosing a job and making the most of your opportunities. Similarly, the Eminent Speakers Programme brought eminent alumni back to the College to share their life experience and offer the ‘little brothers’ a chance to draw upon their collective wisdom.

The Careers Team and the Careers Club have always been pro-active, supportive and forward thinking in their approach to presenting a wide range of excursions, fairs, inter-school careers activities, university visits and a breadth of alumni speakers across the vocational and professional spectrum. This comes to its peak during their DSE/IAL years as they go through the processes of applying to universities here in Hong Kong and overseas.

SPC Careers and Life Planning has hosted the Ivy League Fair, British University Fairs, the CLAP Programme government initiative, and a number of joint-school programmes in addition to the regularly scheduled activities. Each year seems to bring new approaches, new methodologies and important changes to the careers and life planning experience.

Finally, on a personal note, I would like to recognize the exceptional work of my predecessors as Careers Master: Mr Geoffrey Emerson, Mr Alex Wong, and Mr Alvin Yu, and my successors, Mr Alex Wong (again!) and Mr John Ng. Each of these men is an outstanding educator with a deep passion for doing the absolute utmost for SPC students, especially in the careers field.