BANKER TONY Cheung Kam-man has been something of a hermit this past year. He's turned down invitations to dinner parties and drinks with friends. Sometimes, he's even had to forego family activities on public holidays - all in pursuit of a master's degree.
But whereas many professionals sign up for post-graduate programmes with a firm eye on career advancement, Cheung is motivated by passion. Rather than improve his expertise in business management or financial derivatives, the deputy chief executive of Macau-based Seng Heng Bank is studying cultural heritage management.
'I love art and culture. When I travel overseas, whether for business or leisure, museums, art exhibitions and auction houses are always on the itinerary,' he says. 'Even though I don't have the money to bid in an auction I enjoy viewing the art pieces.'
There has been a marked rise in the number of professionals returning to school over the past decade. At Hong Kong University's School of Professional and Continuing Education (Space), for example, enrolments have almost doubled from 60,000 in 1996/97 to 110,000 last year, with 110 per cent and 150 per cent increases respectively in post-graduate and degree programmes.
That's partly because local attitudes towards further studies have changed in the face of increasingly fierce competition in the job market, says Space director Enoch Young Chien-ming.
'In the past, people used to think an undergraduate degree would be enough for a lifetime career. But now they know that a first degree may not be enough to stay in the workforce in today's knowledge-based economy,' Young says. Many seek to broaden their horizons by pursuing professional training in other fields.