There was a quote among my co-workers during my days as an office worker in Canada: life begins after 4.30.
At 4.30pm sharp on every working day, people would quit work, go home and do whatever they enjoyed doing for leisure: gardening, golfing, chatting with friends over beer and so on. I was told that things are not too different between Canada, Europe, Australia or other Western countries.
Well, when I look at my local students who have graduated and joined the workforce in Hong Kong in recent years, this quote seems to be something beyond the imagination or reach of most.
Many of them seem to be routinely staying in their offices until 8pm, sometimes until 9 or 10pm. Even after they have returned home, they might still have to respond to e-mails using their iPads or home computers.
Work pressure is high and competition is always keen. To earn a decent wage and to get promotions, one often has to work like a dog. There is also a distinct need to constantly upgrade one's skills and qualifications so as to stay competitive.
This explains why we have so many people studying after work. At the HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education, we have tens of thousands of adult learners doing different kinds of study annually.
Likewise, you can see huge crowds of adult learners emerging from Polytechnic University or City University every evening at around 9.30pm.