While some students these days begin mapping out successful careers upon reaching their teens, Mervyn Cheung Man-ping remembers turning 13 and facing the prospect of a life of manual work.
It was then his parents announced they could no longer afford his school fees. Obligingly, he started work as an apprentice furniture-maker before landing a string of other manual jobs. But his determination to better himself and his prospects propelled him back to the classroom. He soon began his studies again - in the evening - at Queen Elizabeth School in Mongkok.
Mr Cheung now works as an administrator at the University of Science and Technology - a post he has had for years. He also sits on several government panels and committees tackling such problems as crime and pornography.
His is more than a success story, it is a prime example of how those with the will - regardless of their age and background - can excel. Now 44, Mr Cheung is a veteran advocate for adult education.
Learning to juggle several part-time jobs and his studies, he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics and management in the late 1970s from the University of Hong Kong. He followed up with a master's in public administration from the same university in 1988.
In the late 1960s, Mr Cheung was just one of many children from poor families forced to enter the workforce at an early age. Things have changed, however. Since compulsory education was introduced in the 1970s, children under 15 are required to attend school until Form Three.