Nian’s first encounter with a similar situation happened when he was invited to give a guest lecture in the Ethics and Procedure class of final year law students at the University of Cape Town, as he has a solid legal background. That led to another, and another invitation until it became a regular event. What he enjoyed from the process was imparting information and interacting with students which they found valuable and necessary in achieving future goals.
The move to a full-time position in education took Nian to Taiwan. Working as a consultant and a cram school teacher, he got the same satisfaction from teaching students of all ages, whether it was to achieve long-term or short-term goals, or simply for the love of learning. While working in Taiwan, Nian enrolled in an MBA program where he met Dan. Dan’s enthusiasm for the subject, research and teaching struck Nian, which found a kindred spirit. He also found the discussions in Dan’s courses which captivated and reminded him of the great discussions back at the University of Cape Town. Nian believes in the power of education and using whatever tools are at our disposal to further learning in all forms, especially technology and what it can bring to our fast-changing society. He also believes academics have the solutions to real-world problems, but we should engage more people of all levels in the discussion.
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