ODD JOBS TO PROJECT MANAGER

At the age of 17, Lai Tin-ki dropped out of secondary school and, unable to find work, moped around at home for more than a year before doing a series of jobs such as office clerk at a trading company, making bread in a bakery, telemarketing and baggage handling, after the Hong Kong International Airport opened, in 1998.

In 1999, he joined the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education’s apprenticeship scheme and, after a year-long course, became an air-conditioning and electrical system technician.

“When I started working it was something to do and I was learning on the job,” says Lai. “But about three years in, colleagues or clients would ask me questions about air conditioning or electrical things and I didn’t know the answer; I only knew how to fix it. That’s when I realised I really didn’t know anything and needed to go back and study more.”

In 2009, Lai attended evening classes three times a week for a higher diploma in building services engineering, before going on to earn a bachelor’s degree at the School for Higher and Professional Education.

“After class I went home and did homework, which involved a lot of maths, until 3am, slept for a few hours and then went back to work.”

Lai has since worked as an engineering contractor for a property management company, overseeing renovations and maintenance for a local retail chain. In 2018, he worked on the construction of a power plant in Tuen Mun.

“Infrastructure projects like this don’t come around often in Hong Kong – there may not be another one like this for 20 years, so it was good experience for my career,” he says.

Today, Lai is project manager on the construction of a chemical waste treatment plant in Tsing Yi. “The project I’m working on now has so many aspects to it that I am constantly learning new things. I have studied for many years, which has helped me in this career. So far I’m doing OK.”