After my friend earned his first degree, he was assigned to one of the government ministries. It was during the Imperial era. Immediately after he reported to his duty, he started to face challenges. Being a graduate of management, he had to prove that his field of study was worth attending in school.

Among his efforts to prove so was an attempt to draw up a standard hierarchical organisational chart for the institution, which immediately backfired. It proved impossible to comprehensively draw up the proper structure of the organisation, and external institutions it dealt with, as silly as this sounds.

Then he thought outside of the box and came up with a circular organisational chart that drew up the institution's organisational structure to show in rank who reports to whom and to which area each employee belongs. Given the lack of thought given to organisational theory and human power at the time, this was no small feat.

Thanks to his energy and will to succeed and the capacity to learn and adapt, he thrived through the challenges despite the ensuing pressure. At last, coupled equally with his adamancy, as his academic qualification, he was sponsored to study overseas to advance his career.

This is a story of devotion to whatever people put their minds to throughout their lives. It was also one that I told to a friend and his son, the latter of which recently graduated from a technical college. I underlined the challenges faced by college graduates when it comes to the realities of the labour market, not only compared to the past but also the realities of globalisation today, as the opportunities for and demands from every professional are becoming similar.

The craftsperson's duty is not only strictly adhering to the specific designs or standards but also to have a sense of planning, identifying basic components and tooling, and measuring and weighing opportunities. It is above all about developing through time a near complete knowledge and effective use of different types of emotional and hard skill.