Hanbridge Hub

A Special Career Development Talk at Hanbridge Higher Education

On 28 May 2025, Hanbridge Higher Education hosted a special career development talk led by our Academic and Research Director, Professor Alan Go, which was open to all students in the higher education programme.

This wasn’t just a talk about “careers”—it was a deep and inspiring session on life choices, business thinking, personal growth, and passion.

With his rich life experience and sharp business insights, Professor Alan Go delivered an eye-opening sharing session. He emphasised that what you learn in the classroom should not just serve exam purposes, but also become the stepping stone to the professional world.

How can we go beyond the textbooks and turn theory into practice?
What does it mean to have a true business mindset?

This talk served as a guiding light for many.

📌 Key Highlights from the Talk:

Understanding Singapore, Understanding Policies

Professor Alan provided an in-depth explanation of Singapore’s economic landscape, job market, and entrepreneurial climate, helping students form a foundational understanding of their future career paths.
Whether you’re planning to:

• stay in Singapore for work,

• return to China for employment,

• start your own business,

• or even take over your family enterprise—
  you need to be clear about policy frameworks and market trends before making decisions.

What Do Companies Really Look For?

Professor Alan stressed that companies value not how much theory you know, but whether you can bring value to the business—help it make money, reduce costs, or solve problems.
He encouraged students to reflect:

“How can you become someone your company cannot replace?”

Passion ≠ Interest

Many students say, “I’m interested in this.” But Professor Alan challenged that notion:

“True passion must be strong enough to keep you going, make a living, and withstand loneliness and failure.”
Interest gets you started, but passion keeps you going.

Professor Alan’s Personal Story

It may be hard to imagine, but Alan—now holding a PhD and having dedicated decades to education—once gave up a successful career in his 40s to pursue a master’s degree in the U.S., all because of his unwavering passion for education.

Upon returning to Singapore, he threw himself into teaching and education management, driven by a single goal: to change young lives through knowledge.

Even today, despite his busy schedule, Professor Alan still loves giving lectures and talks, living out his belief in “making a difference” through education.

During the session, he drew upon real stories of entrepreneurs like Jack Ma (Alibaba), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Steve Jobs (Apple) to bring students into diverse worlds shaped by different cultures, backgrounds, and business paths.

Through these stories, students gained a more multi-dimensional understanding of success—and realised that behind every “legend” is someone who stood up again and again from rock bottom.

Professor Alan also highly recommended two books:

• The Art of War by Sun Tzu

• Blue Ocean Strategy

He pointed out that these books, though often seen as military or strategy texts, in fact reveal core principles of business—such as planning, positioning, team management, and timing.

“You may think you’re reading about warfare, but what you’re learning is business wisdom.”

He especially encouraged students to embrace the blue ocean mindset—to avoid competing in overcrowded “red oceans” and instead create new markets with unique value.

As an entrepreneur himself, Professor Alan did not shy away from sharing his failures and setbacks. He admitted that in the early stages of entrepreneurship, passion is often tested by harsh reality.

Conflicts with partners, lack of resources, loss of direction—these are challenges every entrepreneur must face. But it was precisely these experiences that shaped his perseverance and personal growth.

He reminded students:

“Failure is part of the process, not the end. What matters is how you get back up and keep growing.”

This talk not only broadened students’ perspectives but also ignited their curiosity and drive to explore the future.

We hope all Hanbridge students will carry forward the spark of critical thinking, the sharpness of business sense, and the transformative power of education, and go on to lead extraordinary lives in their own unique ways.

Hear more from Professor Alan Go in this YouTube interview, where he discusses the highlights of his career talk: