One of the benefits of having been educated in New Zealand was that I was allowed to maintain my character and discover who I was right through college (high school to our American friends) and university. If we had never left Hong Kong in 1976, I probably would have been stuck in the local schooling system which meant: if I didn’t get into a good kindergarten at 2½ (seriously), I wouldn’t get into a good primary school, which meant I wouldn’t get into a good college, which minimized my opportunity of getting into a good university. By the college years, those of us who were desperate for a decent degree from a respectable uni would have probably lost ourselves somewhat, behaving like the typical good-kid for admissions’ officers from the institutions, maximizing our chances of entry. We would have put in time volunteering so that some member of the Crown would have written an endorsement, and writing a book before 18. I would have been a phony.
   And then what? Would I have then tried to rediscover who I am post-graduation, by going on an OE? Would I ever have “found myself”?
   I’ve no doubt that the old Hong Kong system turns out some amazing people, but I know now it wouldn’t have been for me, either. I did reasonably well in New Zealand, always with my own path, doing what I felt was right for me. It was this environment that allowed me to start my own company as a teen, and at that young age, you can put down 16 hours’ work and still have time to party. Sometimes we are lucky without knowing it.
   At no point should anyone need to sacrifice their characters, to fit in to some stereotypical idea of what a college kid should be. But sometimes I fear this is what we are doing to our young people.
   Anyone in my field of branding will tell you that the successful brands are those that have a unique character, confident of who they are. The same analogy can be applied to people. It is internally generated, not externally forced upon one. Posted by Jack Yan, 23:57  permalink

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