Attracted by the presentation title Science & Entrepreneurship, I decided to join a formal alumni event of my former alma mater for the first time after moving back to HK for 7 or 8 years. The talk was basically a presentation of the facts and milestones of the university’s initiative in incubating tech startups in the university town back in Canada, I couldn’t seem to find relevance for my current work/career. And not knowing anyone at the event, my anti-social nature took precedence and I felt old and out-of-place. Some youngsters were kind enough to initiate some conversations with me, but I had a hard time telling them my current work and had to present myself as a (starving) artist. ?
The event did nonetheless bring back some fond memories of my undergraduate days, I was so full of dreams and felt like I could make a difference in the world after graduating from one of the most prestigious engineering school in the country. I couldn’t be more wrong in my attitude. After working in the software industry for a few years and then furthered and broadened my education, I couldn’t help but become more humbled and mellow.
Looking back now, I did like engineering, it’s all about curiosity, research, innovation, design, and applying it to solve problems and help others. I seemed to have lost that side of myself, grateful that I was able to find it back tonight, guess the alumni event wasn’t entirely meaningless after all.
