上夜學我有不少經驗，是甜是苦且讓我細訴。
中五(Form 5)未讀完，就被趕出校門。半途出家就被逼投身勞工市場，只求得初級文員一職，入息免強可糊口，若以此作為終生職業當然心有不甘。但身無一技之長，除了做白日夢，不知從哪裡開始。
書到用時方恨少，幸好還有自知之明，吃了虧痛定思痛，非想法子急起直追不可。讀夜校是可行途徑之一。坐言起行，我就選擇去讀部記班。入學要求不高，有能力交學費就可入讀。每天下班後風雨無阻，帶著疲倦的身軀上學去。當年邱在光先生(Richard Yau) 是我的導師，在他主辦的商業學校(Hong Kong School of Commerce)我花了兩年時間修完了會計和成本會計之基本課程(London Chamber of Commerce: Higher Accounting, Higher Costing)。
擁有了兩年工作經驗並經過嚴格的培訓，開始靜極思動。人望高處是理所當然的，由一家小型旅遊社(New Orient Express)轉到一家著名國際公司(Gillette)當起會計助理，職位高了薪金也攀升了。這個轉變對我有很大的鼓舞，明白公平競爭的社會對待專業知識與工作能力是直接以金錢作酬勞的，自我增值是升職加薪的最佳途徑。兩年來的努力一點沒有白化。職位高攀了，眼光自然亦放遠了，很快又不滿於現狀，目標是要攀升做會計主任。我之資歷既不合資格亦難以勝任，獲取會計師專業資格是升職的踏腳石。目標定下了就立刻行動，再一次向邱老師求助，報名投考英國國際會計師公會(The Association of International Accountants)之專業文憑試。繼續上夜學，真正的挑戰從此刻才開始。課程非常廣泛，及格要求也高，除了會計主科和成本會計，另外包括商業法、公司法、稅務法，與審計學等等。當時我的英文水平是強差人意的，閱讀和寫作能力都未如理想，為補不足又得參加英文補習班，一時忙個不停。幸好當時年青力壯，有用不盡的精力去應付。如此不知度過了幾許寒暑，其間也經歷了不少考試落敗的挫折。現在想起來，真有不堪回首之感。
讀夜學真正是件苦差，盛夏時人人正在享受冷氣，我卻汗流浹背在擠巴士去趕課。在嚴寒的冬日人人圍爐欣賞火鍋之時，我卻與徹骨的寒風去搶路。如此刻苦耐勞，是為補救知識的缺陷。同事中有不少飽學之士，其中一位日本人告訴我：工餘的消遣是讀武俠小說。對他既羨慕又妒忌，突然悲從中來，更感懷身世，認定自己這輩子要不斷受苦下去！
處境如我者，有些人兼職以補收入，有些人則滿足於現狀不求進取。以上兩類人都會付出沉重代價，既浪費光陰，而且不進則退。我選擇利用工餘的時間去補課，不斷求進，但是要走的路既遙遠又崎嶇。我的信條是：書中自有黃金屋，書中自有顏如玉。也許有人認為我過於迂腐，然而，這一信條確能鼓舞我的鬥志。夜校同學不少日後成為行政主管或執業會計師，這是他們努力的成果。
只問耕耘不問收獲是我堅持的態度。投考會計師文憑試不時失利，仍屢敗屢戰，皇天不負苦心人，最後終於成功過關。此時我已攀升到做行政主管，會計主任只不過是我屬下的一名職員，早已志不在此。文憑到手後束之高閣，日久封塵，想不到當年卻曾為它賣命！
黄啓樟
David,
ReplyDeleteIndeed you are a self-made man. Don't be so conscious about your lack of an impressive sheepskin. Yes, sheepskins are the keys to open the door for better employment. But people without it can always make a "master" key themselves that opens all!
Look at people like American Bill Gates, Chinese Lee Kar Shing, Chinese-Vietnamese Lee Leung Shun, and the like. None of them possesses high academic degrees but have made it to the real top.
This said, I admit that "sheepskin" depends on demand and supply. Before the 1960s, people with some education were very much in demand. To obtain employment, one only had to be a "Junior Local" graduate (Class Two, now Form V, equivalent to junior in US high schools). If one wanted to be a lawyer, all he had to do was to finish Class One and work at a law firm as an "article clerk" for a year. (They are actually legal solicitors but hold high social status in Hong Kong.)
The basic qualifications to enter the Police Force were: "Have studied at a grade school (below Junior High) and able to read Chinese." Why? Because an ordinary cop doing the beat in the street didn't hold any social respect at the time.
In the US, one could continue to go to school as long as they want with the help of students loan and stuff. The schools have to have students in order to survive, you know. As a result, supply more than demand and there're a lot of holders of Bachelors, Masters and even Ph.D degrees out there without a job.
A short experience of mine before I close. When we advertised for a part-time principal in 2006 for our Mun Lun School that paid a bit over $1,000.00 a month, two Ph.Ds and several Master's responded. And who was among the seven interviewers? Yours Sincerely! (We hired Dr. Chock Wong, a Ph.D in Mathematics).
Aloha,
Joe
David 大佬，
ReplyDelete我自中五畢業，因成績不理想，幸好幸運之神照顧，取得機會在那打素醫院化驗室學徙之職位，從那時起便開始了我在香港十五年夜校生涯，要考上預科才有機會進修化驗技師高級文憑。起從初級文憑到取得高級文憑足足是八年光境，其後便是香港大學校外進修步的 Use of English 1 and 2，然後便是HK Management Association + HK Polytechnic 的 Diploma of Management Study. 取得以上之憑可前往英國讀 MBA ，但在香港已從學徙攀至浸會醫院化驗室主任，一人之下，所有化驗部門之上，且己有家庭，實無法再離家進修。可惜決定移民，到達加拿大之後需要從頭做起，取資格、考執照等。雖有執照卻没有大學學位，無緣高升，所以便以有限的知識希望在多倫多另找出路，二十年過去落得一事無成，故是 no impressive background 一點兒都沒有說錯。說到夜校生涯，汝又如何能說獨嘗呢！
Frankie Wai
由一家小型旅遊社(New Orient Express)轉到一家著名國際公司(Gillette)
ReplyDeleteDavid:
Yes, compared with Gillette, New Orient Express is a small travel agency. But compared with all travel agencies in Hong Kong at the time, NOE wasn't that small. You probably forgot that:
1. NOE was established in 1959 by Takeshi Wada who was the son of the president of Marusan Oil, the "Union Oil" of Japan. (完善石油)
2. The main office was located at the premium banking area in Tokyo known as Shinbashi. Two sizeable offices with one on Park Avenue, New York, and one on Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, both districts were known as the "Golden Mile" of the city.
At the opening of the New York Office, we sent a popular Japanese singer to New York to entertain our guests and that alone cost us US$5,000.00. (That was big money half a century ago and was enough to buy a small flat in Hong Kong).
3. Medium sized offices in Hong Kong, Kyoto, and Osaka. (They hired me by doubling the salary I made from Pan American).
4. Representative offices in Honolulu, San Francisco, Singapore and Bangkok.
5. I left NOE when they closed its San Francisco office of which I was the general manager.
6. NOE was taken over by Sanwa Bank of Japan in the 1970s after it owed the bank some US$600,000.00. (What a way to brag about the collapse of a company! Ha Ha).
You should therefore say that you were chosen by NOE as an accounting clerk among many other applicants. :-)
Joe