On the Wealth and Poverty of Ken

I sometimes wonder whether or not I will "make it" in the conventional sense, which for most people means material wealth and financial security. Among Chinese people, my career path and my lifestyle is rather unconventional, but most of my friends and family do expect me to settle down one day. Something that bothers me is that most of the Chinese people I know consider the time and money (mostly time) I've spent on my education as an investment that will yield high returns, money-wise. I'm really not so sure about that.

Some of my friends my age, and some a bit younger than me, really are "making it". The ones who studied Accounting, Business Administration, Pharmacy, and Engineering are doing quite well with steady jobs and steady incomes, and some are even starting families and buying homes; those who studied Computer Sciences and Economics aren't doing as well as they expected to, and one buddy who just finished his MBA, a very very bright guy named Vince (whom you may know as "Cosmic Ocean"), is in the unfortunate Catch-22 situation of "no experience, no job - no job, no experience." It seems most of my friends chose to engage in further education, and some of us are in our eight year of university. Those still studying Law and Medicine are generally in a bit of debt or will face some financial limbo, but they have no doubt about their future careers as legal and medical professionals.

I, on the other hand, am a PhD student in the Social Sciences. It doesn't help that I'm not a scholar of any one particular discipline. When I apply for jobs, it would help if I could define myself as a Sociologist, a Geographer, a Political Scientist, etc, but instead, I will not appear to be an expert on any one particular discipline. Furthermore, I will graduate from the University of Hong Kong, and though HKU has illustrious faculty members, excellent research facilities, generous levels of funding (and alumni contributions), and world-class facilities, the truth is that in North American and European academic circles, any school outside of North America and Europe is considered peripheral. Long story short, there's no way in hell I can ever possibly become a professor at UBC. Would I really want to become a lecturer at the University College of the Cariboo? Or at the University of South Mississippi? Looking at the list of faculty members at HKU, CUHK, and the HKUST (the so-called "Big Three" universities in Hong Kong), the vast majority of faculty members earned their PhD's at the top 30 schools in the US and the top 5 schools in the UK. Almost none earned their PhD's in Hong Kong. Things look a bit grim on this front.

Well, I've considered all of this before enrolling at HKU. First of all, there are other opportunities open to me. For example, I can still live a comfortable and respectable life as a "research officer" or a "lecturer", whether at a university, a college, or a research institute. Perhaps not in Canada, but I know the pay can be quite good in Singapore or Hong Kong. Also, I can probably become a university professor in China, though my salary would be very low (while prices in China are only getting higher), and it would be quite tough to find universities that have English-language instruction. I will also quite likely work in the non-academic world, perhaps for a press agency, a think tank, or maybe even as a freelance researcher or writer. I can even create my own opportunities by establishing an "Institute for Migration Studies" at HKU or at another major university in the region.

The second reason why I insisted on pursuing my PhD at HKU is that I don't regard a PhD as a means to an end, but as an end in itself. I'm very happy to have the privilege of engaging in research, to contribute to the intellectual discourse in my subject area, and to possibly change the world, albeit just a little bit. This is a big deal for me, and though it may be hard work, it is also fun and rewarding. If I die the day after I earn my PhD, I will have died a happy man.

The third reason why I chose to study at HKU is because despite my grim job prospects after graduation, and despite the possibility of never being able to attain material wealth in my lifetime, I know that I can be happy with living a simple life. Over the years, I've learned to live modestly. I don't need top-of-the-line electronics, a German automobile, a mansion in a ritzy part of town, name brand clothes, and fancy watches to be happy. This is not to say that I can live without money, or that I have absolutely no expensive tastes and habits - travel and dining ain't free - but I know that I can control my spending on the frivolous. Having said that, I'd still like to earn enough money to be able to repair or replace household applicances and automobiles, pay for any medical expenses for my parents (and later, for myself), ensure that my parents and my in-laws live comfortable lives, provide my children with a quality education (both in and outside of the classroom), and to be able to afford anything I want.

Que sera sera?