Current Student
Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 983
Location: Hong Kong
Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Technology
Schools: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) - Class of 2010
Re: HKUST 2011-2012 - Calling All Applicants
[#permalink]
22 Oct 2010, 00:22
Economic climate matters a lot. For the past couple of years it has been difficult for anyone to switch function and industry. Usually changing one is quite normal, but to do both, particularly during an economic downturn is nearly impossible.
Personally, was not interested in finance, consulting... maybe, but decided against it due to work / life / balance reasons. Consulting from Hong Kong requires a lot of travel around Asia, and with 2 small kids, it`s not good for them, plus my main passion is in Tech (entertainment), so I`m focusing on the start-up world in this region... Why not USA? Well, lifestyle is one of the current main reasons. I went on exchange to Berkeley, and the tech-entrepreneurship atmosphere is second to none, but I had to balance it to living in a 24/7 serviced city in Asia and balance that with family needs as well. I particularly enjoy Asian culture and the fact that Hong Kong is 4 hours from almost everywhere in Asia makes it a compelling sell when looking at multiple vacation plans (work life balance) if you are based here. So for now, Asia is the right environment for me.