Video summary
Architect Ho-Yin Ng talks about his life to inspire courage and commitment.
He had always liked art but never really believed he was good at it.
Here Ho-Yin explains how as a quiet child he lacked a vision for his future.
It wasn’t until he was given work experience at an architecture firm that his mind opened up to the possibility that he was both talented enough to make progress, and that his love of art and his attention to detail could be combined in really imaginative ways.
Ho-Yin’s message to young people is, "Don’t be afraid to explore your passions. If you do, something will always happen."
Teacher Notes
Students could discuss how work experience helped Ho-Yin find a job that he loves. Ask students to consider what work experience is, and why it is useful.
They could also explore how to go about gaining work experience and what industries they might like to experience one day. Students could even try out some work experience in school, exploring the jobs of the office staff, janitor, catering staff or headteacher.
Students could also further explore Ho-Yin’s career as an architect.
What other skills would he need apart from the ability to draw?
Why are these skills important for an architect? If possible, an architect could visit the class and be interviewed by students and they could compile a list of skills, knowledge and attributes required to be an architect.
They could use this to create their own job description and personal specification for an architect. They could also explore other careers in the same way and create their own classroom 'job centre'.
This clip will be relevant for teaching Modern Studies or Art & Design. This topic appears in KS2/KS3 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2nd level in Scotland.
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