The first computer of Yip Tai Loi, Taylor only served one purpose – playing computer games. Craving for a better gaming experience, Taylor began to disassemble computer and look for ways to upgrade the hardware , rambling in the Golden Computer Arcade and the Golden Computer Centre, and self-learn IT knowledge. Finally, he levelled up and established an IT education centre. If you wish to pass through all levels of this 'IT Game', you have to ask yourself, 'Do I really like IT?'
It's the Choice of Subject, not the College
Believing that good result in mathematics was an advantage, Taylor chose Accountacy degree programmes of different universities as his first three choices in the JUPAS application. Unfortunately, he was assigned to his fourth choice, the Higher Diploma in Information Technology of Hong Kong Technical College (the then Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education or IVE). Taylor was a bit disappointed. However, with a second thought, he found that it might not be a bad option. 'I know nothing about accounting and not sure if it really fits me; on the other hand, I absolutely like IT, and the Higher Diploma course bridged with degree programme. In the end, I made it clear that I should follow my interest rather than go after an university.'
It turned out to be a right choice. Classmates were nice to get along with and teachers were friendly. The curriculum was practical and they were motivated to be self-learning. Taylor and his classmates developed a communication platform, somewhat like “WhatsApp” today, among desktop computers. While all the students appeared to work hard on the computers during class, they were actually chatting non-stop via this self-made 'Chatroom'.
Be a Full-time Student at the University
Taylor set his study goal long ago. He planned to pursue a degree programme at the university after finishing the Higher Diploma programme. However, should he study part-time or full-time? The total admission fee of the part-time mode would be more or less the same as the full-time mode but the study time would be longer which is 3 years; and it would be tough if studying alongside the working life. However, the major drawback of studying full-time was lack of money. Thanked to Taylor’s relative who lent him HKD$100,000, Taylor’s wish to be a full-time student came true and pursued his study in the UK. The study life in UK was relaxing. Most subjects had been covered in the IVE course already and hence he had free time to tour around the UK to broaden his horizon and that experience was invaluable.
Laying a Strong Foundation is the First and Most Important Step
Taylor only set one target when it came to job seeking, working overseas, as he was eager to explore the world. His dream came true as he landed a. job as a programmer in Singapore. In 2000, the IT industry went through the roof and even a HTML website programmer could earn a monthly salary of $30,000 to $40,000. It was like a dream in wonderland. But then the heavenly fantasies were grounded and the dot.com bubble went bust leaving behind only those IT professionals with strong capability, including Taylor. Although the company he worked for also went bankrupt and he had to go to the Labour Department to recover the outstanding wages, the opportunity was still there. The labour demand for programming and website development was still high. So, as the adage says, laying a strong foundation is the first and most important step.
Turning a Part-time Job into a Business
Apart the full-time job, Taylor and several classmates worked as part-time instructors at an IT education centre. The two shareholders were considering to wind up the business for retirement, but they found that it was an opportunity for starting up their own business. One of them who was good at cost evaluation quickly presented a gloomy business projection and concluded that the business had no future. 'But we really want to give it a try and start our own business as we are still young. In the worst-case scenario, we could go back to find another job and start all over again', said Taylor. Projections were only for reference but it was the heart that counted. They took over the business and established a brand new IT education centre as well as providing IT support and back up services on the same venue. About six months later, they decided to move to another premise as the location was not appropriate.
An IT Education Centre on the Ground Floor
It so happened that there was a kindergarten on the ground floor was about to close. But wasn't it a bit weird to have an IT education centre on the ground floor? On the contrary, it was located on the main road with a lot of traffic which gave the centre good promotion effect already. As the kindergarten was an educational institute, it saved a lot of time in going through the registration procedures. As at today, this 'Flagship Centre' still attracts attention of the passers-by. It proved that the decision was correct.
Leveraging the Experience of Others
There was nowhere to learn how to start one's business apart from learning by doing. As a newbie , they humbly sought for advice from others. 'The two former Centre owners shared with us a lot of their precious experience. There were also quite a number of business owners and managers among our students who taught us management skills and offered suggestion on what courses we should provide', said Taylor. For business strategy, Taylor preferred service differentiation rather than low pricing. Customers would come when unique service was provided. This strategy enabled the Centre to occupy a solid place in the market. His education centre has recommended by computer and digital product magazine as the Best IT Education Training Centre.
As a veteran in the field, Taylor had the following advice for his younger fellows who cherished a dream in IT, 'Many people place too much attention on the income of their first job. Generally, the income of entry level jobs in IT jobs is not high. This may put off people who is interested in IT but look for high starting income. IT industry has prosperous future. So one will get fruitful reward if he or she really likes IT and pursues it as a life time career', said Taylor.
