Singer-Songwriter Mr. Phil Lam Shares Thoughts on Seizing One’s Future at sharing session of “PolyU SPEED Career Fair 2019”

Singer-Songwriter Mr. Phil Lam attended the sharing session of “PolyU SPEED Career Fair 2019” (the Fair) organised by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University-affiliated School of Professional Education and Executive Development (PolyU SPEED), and co-organised by College of Professional and Continuing Education (CPCE) Student Affairs Office and CTgoodjobs, the media partner of the Fair, on 29 March 2019. Mr. Phil Lam shared his experience with more than 200 PolyU SPEED students on how he strived through countless struggles during his ventures in the declining Hong Kong pop music industry in the past decade.

The Fair aims to assist students in making timely planning and preparation for their career. With this year’s theme of “Opening Minds, Seizing the Future,” the sharing session of Mr. Phil Lam was one of the highlights. Students were encouraged to participate in the Fair through completing job hunting related missions, such as having their professional portraits taken, attending CV consultation, and submitting their CV, etc. The four students who had accumulated the highest scores in these activities were invited to join Mr. Phil Lam on stage for a direct dialogue.

During the sharing session, Mr. Phil Lam shared some personal stories on the topics in which students were most interested. Mr. Lam first shed some practical wisdom on time management, “A routine will help you focus, and when you are more focused, you will be more productive.” When asked about managing stress, he shared his weakness in memorising lyrics, “I often get stressed out about reciting lyrics perfectly at performances, and the best way to get rid of that stress is to face and tackle the problem. Instead of just rehearsing the songs, I would also dictate the lyrics, copy them by hand a dozen times until I feel confident. If I still forget the lyrics at performances, at least I know I’ve tried my best and don’t have to blame myself for not having worked harder.”

Towards the end of the sharing session, he told students a never-been-heard story on getting back up from failures, “There was a time where I was close to being depressed because I felt that there was nothing I could do to enhance my music career. I couldn’t even afford to pay my rent anymore, and I started to have insomnia. One night I couldn’t fall asleep and was sitting on the kitchen floor. All of a sudden, I realised I’d reached rock bottom and that was exactly where I needed to give myself a kick back up. I thought to myself, with my love for music, even if I couldn’t become a successful singer, I could write songs for others. I became more proactive in approaching other local singers with the songs I had written. Kay Tse ended up being the first to use one of my songs. From this experience, I learned that those who are proactive in achieving their dreams will always be rewarded.”

Apart from Mr. Lam’s sharing, Dr. Jack Lo, Director of PolyU SPEED, also gave students a few words of advice during his opening remark through a quotation by distinguished theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Prof. Stephen Hawking, “‘Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.’ I hope that when you are faced with difficulties in your future endeavors, this quotation will remind you to keep going.”

This year, the Fair was held over two days on 14 and 15 March at the PolyU West Kowloon Campus and Hung Hom Bay Campus respectively. The Fair held at the two campuses was planned according to the business of the exhibitors, which was to be matched with the programmes of the students on the relevant campuses. For instance, at the West Kowloon Campus, information shared was primarily focused on the fields of business, finance, and hospitality; while more information on engineering, social science and healthcare related career opportunities was disseminated at the Hung Hom Bay Campus. With the support of over 100 organisations from 20 industries, including banking and finance, retail, food and beverages, tourism and airlines, just to name a few, students were privileged with a head start in seizing their future through interactions with potential employers whose representatives were present at the Fair to meet and chat with students.