Month: July 2026

I started the B.Ed. in Mathematics and Mathematics Education in 2012. I am honored to share my transition from education to consulting. After my undergraduate studies I navigated a period of uncertainty, but the experiences I pursued gradually revealed how my skills could transfer beyond the classroom. Today I work as a Senior Consultant in Data and AI, translating complex data into actionable insights for clients across various industries. With AI reshaping how organizations operate, my current role reflects this shift. I advocate for AI adoption, advise organizations on building agents, and integrating models into workflows to drive faster, better decisions.

While my path was not linear, the BMED programme provided inspiration and a solid foundation for my career. Its double-major structure turned out to be very valuable. The mathematics major built the analytical mindset behind my data work, and the education major taught me to explain complex technical or mathematical ideas effectively to stakeholders. Over the years, I have presented topics on data engineering, business intelligence and AI to audiences from various countries. The clarity and structure I bring to these sessions are grounded in the programme’s emphasis on understanding learners’ needs and designing instruction for deep comprehension.

The BEd curriculum allowed me to take elective credits outside mathematics, and I used mine to try out Computer Science courses to build my programming foundation. That exposure was pivotal and inspired me to pursue a master’s degree in information technology as a practical alternative to teaching. In one course I had to self-study Python and deliver a full project with minimal guidance under a tight deadline, far from the structured, gradual instruction I had expected. The academic transition had its challenges, yet courses like data mining and machine learning showed me how my mathematics background could apply to real problems, and that was when working with data truly clicked.

During my master’s, an internship building a bank’s fraud-detection model in Python introduced me to real-world analytics. I then joined Microsoft’s Data and AI team for some years serving the Asia Pacific region, marking the official start of my career in data and consulting.

In consulting, my responsibilities are to identify client problems, design solutions, and translate analytics into clear business recommendations. On one occasion, a client required an academic style report with proper citations to justify my decision making, a task that drew directly on the research writing skills I developed in BMED. In corporate consulting, my proposed solutions could not stay theoretical. They shape real decisions and that reality pushes me to take full ownership. Clients act on that work and the stakes are high because even a small oversight can lead to costly consequences. This has made me more careful and more confident in the work I deliver. Working with clients across different sectors has exposed me to a wide range of data challenges, from operational issues to optimizations and forecasting, and has influenced how I approach data problems today.

As I continue building my career in data and AI, I remain committed to staying close to innovation and adapting as the field evolves. I do not pretend to know exactly where the market will go in this AI era, but I believe students should study what genuinely interests them and keep an open, experimental mindset. Looking back, my math and teaching background gave me an edge standard tech degree would not have. The ability to articulate technical content to non-technical stakeholders is not what programmers are trained to do, which has defined my entire career. For BMED students considering a path in tech or data, I would say do not view your degree as an obstacle but as a foundation. A few structured online courses and role-focused or technology-focused certifications can fill in technical gaps, and small end to end projects on GitHub are often enough to show what you know. Analytical and communication skills are the hardest part to acquire, but they are also the qualities that set you apart from others.

Gratitude for BMED’s Nurturing: A Journey from Cross-Sector Teaching to AI in Education

It is a true privilege to be invited by my alma mater to share my journey since graduating from the B.Ed. in Mathematics and Mathematics Education (BMED) programme at CUHK in 2017. Looking back over nearly a decade, I am filled with deep gratitude for how BMED provided me not only with a solid academic foundation but also with the intellectual agility to continuously evolve in an ever-changing educational landscape.

In my view, the core strength of BMED lies in its double major structure. It seamlessly bridges rigorous mathematical subject knowledge with advanced educational theories and practical pedagogy. This unique five-year training equipped us with a dual perspective—allowing us to master a discipline while deeply understanding how to communicate it. This well-rounded foundation has been the cornerstone of my professional development.

My career after graduation began in primary and secondary education, where I spent two years as a primary school teacher and five years as a secondary school teacher. These seven years on the frontline of schooling were invaluable, giving me firsthand insights into the pedagogical needs and learning hurdles of students across different age groups. Driven by a desire to explore higher education, I later transitioned to tertiary education and served as a Lecturer at HKU SPACE. The academic autonomy in the higher education sector allowed me to experiment with new teaching methodologies and guide mature learners in transforming knowledge into real-world applications.

Recently, the global rise of Artificial Intelligence has brought unprecedented transformations to education. Prompted by the scholarly curiosity fostered during my undergraduate years, I chose to step out of my comfort zone and pursue a master degree specializing in AI. Thanks to the rigorous mathematical and logical training I received from BMED, I was able to grasp the algorithms and concepts behind machine learning smoothly. More excitingly, under the sponsorship of my master programme, I recently had the incredible opportunity to visit the University of Oxford for an academic exchange. Engaging with global scholars in Oxford and exploring the intersection of technology and knowledge has profoundly reshaped my vision of “future education.”

From primary and secondary classrooms to tertiary lecture halls, and now to the frontiers of AI education and international exchange, every step of my journey carries the imprint of BMED. It taught me that education is never static; it requires innovation and adaptability. I am immensely grateful to the professors at BMED for their guidance and to my classmates for their enduring companionship.

As for my next steps, I am keeping my options open. Whether I choose to pursue doctoral studies (PhD), dedicate myself to academic research, or fully immerse myself in the field of “AI in Education,” I am confident that the vision and resilience gifted to me by BMED will continue to illuminate my path ahead.

A Message to Undergraduates:
In the era of AI, the educational landscape is constantly shifting. However, please believe that the rigorous analytical mindset and pedagogical passion gifted by BMED remain irreplaceable. Never limit your horizon; the training you receive here is more than enough to navigate and lead in any new era.