Becoming an engineer was Kevin Chow Chi-tsun’s childhood dream. “A determination to improve Hong Kong living standards was the main reason why I chose building services engineering as my career,” Chow explains. 

His dream came true when Jardine Engineering Corporation (JEC) hired him as a management trainee after he obtained his bachelor’s degree in building services engineering from the City University of Hong Kong in 2011.

Coming from a background in building services, Chow now has to handle projects involving air-conditioning, lighting and drainage systems. “As a management trainee, my major duty is to monitor alterations and addition projects for air-conditioning systems, including replacement of air-handling units, chillers and other related equipment,” he says.

“At the same time, I am involved in other types of projects, such as lighting replacement works under the scope of energy-efficiency projects, upgrading plumb drain systems and the replacement of water pumps.”

Chow notes that Hong Kong’s limited space poses a major challenge for building projects. “The challenges for most electrical and mechanical projects can be described in two words: ‘time’ and ‘space’. There is no other place where projects must be finished in a very short time and equipment squeezed to a minimum size.

“Such challenges give me a feeling of satisfaction. I not only enjoy the moment the problems are solved, but also the processes and failures in between.”

In the short term, Chow is aiming for a professional chartership. In the long run, he wants to contribute to the community by nurturing the growth of engineering students and young engineers. “My two keywords are ‘cautious’ and ‘curious’ and they are my advice to youngsters interested in joining the engineering field,” he says.