On October 23, 2025, the Career Day event for the senior high division of Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School (SSBS) kicked off as scheduled. This event brought together over 20 industry experts from 14 fields, including gene sequencing, AI technology, finance, healthcare, architecture, and art curation. Through keynote lectures, interactive experiences, and case analyses, it built a practical platform for Grade 10 and 11 students to "engage directly with industry elites and explore career paths." From in-depth analysis of cutting-edge technology to heartfelt sharing in the humanities, from detailed breakdowns of financial logic to the transmission of professional responsibilities in healthcare, this career feast not only broadened students’ horizons but also allowed them to grasp the core value of different professions through dialogue, sowing the seeds of exploration for their future planning.

Cutting-Edge Technology: 

Decoding the Future Landscape of AI, Genes, and Blockchain

In the cutting-edge technology section, a number of experts led students into the forefront of artificial intelligence, genetic science, and blockchain through "immersive popular science + practical case studies."Mr. Ni Tao, Head of Sequencing Business at the Global Customer Service Department of Roche Diagnostics Group, delivered a lecture themed "Decoding the Code of Life: From a $3 Billion Race to Rewriting Your Health Future." Starting with Mendel’s pea experiment, he explained the core logic of the "central dogma" of genetics and demonstrated the life-saving power of genetic technology through the real case of Emily, the world’s first child cured by CAR-T cell therapy. He also reviewed the $3 billion Human Genome Project and introduced how SBS sequencing technology has advanced breakthroughs in fields such as rare disease tracing and human origin exploration, allowing students to intuitively perceive the possibility of "life science transforming the future."

Dr. Li Yuangui, Principal Engineering Manager at Microsoft Asia Pacific R&D Co., Ltd., focused on "How AI Coding Impacts the Career of Software Development Engineers." Using a practical video of a mini-program simulating "SSBS Senior High Students’ AP Registration," he vividly demonstrated the efficient process of AI coding from "instruction input to code generation." He put forward the view that "AI does not replace programmers but reconstructs the development model," emphasizing that the integration of "human wisdom + AI efficiency" is the core competitiveness of future software engineering. This dispelled students’ worries about "AI leading to layoffs" and stimulated their desire to explore the field of software.

Sha Tiejun, an expert in AI and GPU interconnection, focused on the "computing power revolution." He extended from the origin of gaming graphics cards to the collaborative computing logic of AI GPUs, using the analogy of "mortise-and-tenon structure" to describe the seamless connection of chip interconnection technologies. He vividly explained how solutions such as NVLink and optical interconnection break through the industry bottleneck of "collaboration among thousands of GPUs." He also warned about the high energy consumption of 15,000 kilowatts in AI training systems and looked forward to the future of quantum computing - "a single quantum card may replace tens of thousands of GPUs," allowing students to understand the balance between technological breakthroughs and sustainable development.

He Jiahua, an expert in blockchain and fintech, explained the birth logic of cryptocurrencies starting from the "pain point of inflation." Taking Bitcoin and Ethereum as examples, he illustrated that "social credibility is the core of currency" and introduced the practice of combining AI and blockchain by Worldcoin. Through explanations such as "how cryptocurrencies prevent inflation" and "the technical support for decentralized mechanisms," he helped students establish a rational understanding of cutting-edge fintech and inspired their thinking about the future economic landscape.

Financial Sector: 

Insight into Capital Logic and Unlocking Career Paths

The sharing in the financial sector covered three dimensions: "corporate finance, fund investment, and Wall Street ecology." Experts dismantled industry logic with rich practical experience, unveiling the mystery of the financial world for students.Wang Li, Assistant President of Hengdian Group, started from the "business purpose of enterprises" and emphasized that "financial management is the key to corporate success" with 4 classic cases. He detailed the categories and responsibility scope of business management and outlined the growth path of corporate financial managers with examples of industry benchmarks such as Joseph Tsai, allowing students to understand that "finance is not just about accounting but also the support for corporate strategy."

Cui Zhijian, General Manager of the Issuer Services Department of HSBC Bank (China), delivered a lecture themed "Overview of Corporate Banking Services," breaking students’ perception that banks "only engage in wealth management." Using the core case of "letters of credit relying on bank credit endorsement," he explained the business logic of deposits, loans, and cross-border capital flows, introduced how products such as "cross-border letters of credit" and "offshore RMB bonds" serve the globalization of enterprises, and supplemented knowledge about the foreign exchange market and interest rate swaps, providing practical references for students interested in developing in the financial field.

Xu Xiaojie, a public fund manager with nearly 20 years of industry experience, shared "The Journey to Becoming a Fund Manager." Starting from her personal experience of "switching from biological research to finance," she conveyed the growth concept that "life is long, and trial and error do not affect the outcome." She detailed the "three cores" of investment - sustainable goals, stable-quality concepts, and growth-oriented styles, quoted Peter Lynch’s famous saying "Invest in businesses, not in the stock market" to emphasize the importance of valuation, and pointed out that "compound interest is the key to investment miracles" and "diversified teams are friends of time," allowing students to understand that investment is not only a technology but also a practice of long-termism.

Ms. Amy, Managing Partner of QianCe Capital, delivered a lecture themed "A Glimpse into Wall Street and Finance." Starting from the "defensive wall" built by early Dutch settlers, she traced the origin of Wall Street and the formation of the modern capital market (such as the first public stock issuance by the Dutch East India Company in 1602). She clearly distinguished between "primary market (financing) and secondary market (trading)" and "buy-side and sell-side institutions," and used the simulated case of "Cool AI Company’s financing" (Seed Round → Series A → Series B → IPO/M&A) to help students intuitively understand the entrepreneurial capital flow and equity logic. Finally, she summarized the necessary qualities for a career on Wall Street, such as "curiosity, resilience, and learning ability," providing students with a clear direction for ability development.

Healthcare and Humanities: 

Safeguarding the Warmth of Life and Exploring Connections Between the Mind and Nature

The sharing in the healthcare and humanities fields allowed students to feel that "a profession is not just about skills but also about responsibility and warmth," covering three directions: neurosurgery, psychological counseling, and animal-assisted intervention.Dr. Sun Yirui, Associate Chief Physician of the Neurosurgery Department at Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, focused on the "three career paths in life sciences" - Clinical, Research, and Enterprise. He analyzed the "rewards and challenges" of each path one by one: clinical doctors have "a long professional life but high pressure and busyness," research work "explores boundaries but has a long cycle and low success rate," and corporate positions "offer high salaries but require coping with rapid iteration." He reminded students to "not be confused by titles or trends, but plan based on interests and strengths," solving many students’ doubts about medical career paths.

Li Juejia, a psychological counselor with 13 years of experience and over 5,000 hours of consulting experience, unveiled the veil of the psychological counselor profession in a "down-to-earth and sincere" style. She shared the professional advantages of "flexible working hours and discovering the goodness in human nature" and also candidly talked about the challenge of "needing self-healing ability and once collapsing because she couldn’t help a client," emphasizing that "counselors need supervisor support." She used the analogy of "untangling a ball of yarn" to describe the consulting process and combined examples of "play therapy" and "expressive arts therapy" (painting, sandplay, clay, etc.) to help students understand the "vividness and diversity" of psychological counseling. She also reminded students to "prioritize the client’s best interests and strictly protect privacy," conveying the responsibility of the profession and the importance of empathy.

Wu Qi, founder of the China PFH Animal-Assisted Intervention Project (with 20 years of experience in the pet field), delivered an interactive sharing on "animal-assisted intervention" in the central hall on the fourth floor. He clarified the project’s service targets focusing on "the elderly and children (the elderly, children, and special groups)" and detailed the "three assessment subjects" for therapy animals (obedience, desensitization, etc.). He also brought certified therapy animals to interact with students on site. This sharing broke the superficial perception that "pet companionship equals animal assistance" and helped students understand that "therapy animals require professional training," establishing a deep understanding of the social value of pets.

Professor Zhang Jian, the vice dean of the Institute of Medical Artificial Intelligence at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the director of a key laboratory of the Ministry of Education (selected as one of the top 2% of global scientists in pharmacology by Stanford University), delivered a talk on "Biomedical Disciplines and Future Employment Directions" to students, outlining the disciplinary framework and career paths in this field. He clarified that biomedicine is a "discipline cluster" encompassing biology, pharmacy, clinical medicine, basic medicine, public health, and nursing. He then dissected the core characteristics of each: the biology direction faces "long research cycles and intense competition"; the pharmacy field is challenged by "high investment in new drug research and high failure rates"; public health positions often bear public opinion pressure due to "insufficient public awareness"; while clinical medicine, basic medicine, and nursing each have their own "high-pressure responsibilities", "theoretical orientation", and "humanistic demands". In response to the question of whether biomedicine will be replaced by AI, Professor Zhang stated, "Biomedicine will be one of the last disciplines to be disrupted by AI," with the core reason being the "scarcity of high-quality experimental data" - the complexity of biological systems and the variability of clinical cases make it difficult for AI to replace humans in core decision-making in research and diagnosis and treatment. This sharing provided a clear reference for students interested in this field and helped them understand the responsibility and value behind their disciplinary choices.

Creativity and Management:

Inspiring Career Inspiration Through Cross-Border Integration

The sharing in the creativity and management fields demonstrated the concept that "there are no boundaries in careers, and cross-border integration is an advantage," covering three directions: architectural design, art curation, and organization building.Jin Jing, Director of JY Design Studio (Bachelor of Architecture from Tongji University, Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Stuttgart University, Germany), delivered a lecture themed "Cross-Border Co-Creation - Becoming an Architect Designing the Future." She compared architects to "conductors of a symphony orchestra," emphasizing the need to integrate capabilities in multiple fields such as sociology (e.g., transforming a Dutch food market into a market-hotel), psychology (dome light and shadow design), and science (adapting to new materials). She analyzed the "dual challenges" faced by modern architects - coping with climate change (buildings need to be green and environmentally friendly) and embracing digitalization (AI and modeling tools to improve efficiency). She also shared cases such as "transforming a waste incineration plant into a museum" and "the East Gate Center in Zimbabwe imitating ant nests for energy conservation," allowing students to see that architecture is not only about aesthetics but also a carrier for solving social problems.

Ms. Antevasin, a curator from a private art museum, led students into the "world of curation behind exhibitions." She put forward the unique perspective that "the audience is also part of the exhibition" - taking the "emotional healing exhibition" as an example, she explained that audience interaction and feedback are extensions of the exhibition’s core message; she shared her experience of collaborating with artists in the "California Pink Beach Exhibition." She also introduced the linkage logic of various departments in an art museum and candidly talked about the hardships of curation, such as "needing behind-the-scenes collaboration and post-exhibition optimization." She used anecdotes such as "helping audiences find lost items and listening to interesting stories from visitors" to show the trivialities and warmth of the profession, helping students understand that "a good exhibition is the result of countless details."

Li Rongqin, General Manager of Shanghai Chengyuan Business Consulting Co., Ltd., focused on "From Campus Clubs to Social Organizations: Unlocking the Common Code of Organization Building." Starting with the pain points of "club staff shortages and declining participation," she pointed out that the core of organization building is "goals + collaboration + rules." Combining her experience in Microsoft project teams, she detailed the "SMART goal method (clarifying direction), RACI responsibility model (reasonable division of labor), and PDCA cycle (efficient management)" and guided students to apply these methods to club operations (e.g., using project management thinking to organize activities), making abstract "management logic" actionable and laying a foundation for students’ club practice and future workplace capabilities.

Sailing with Career Exploration

Setting Sail for Future Growth

This Career Day event was not only a "dialogue between industry elites and high school students" but also a "connection between campus and society." From the hardcore breakthroughs of technology to the rational logic of finance, from the humanistic warmth of healthcare to the cross-border integration of creativity, experts used "personal experience + professional analysis" to open doors to various professions for SSBS students. Many students said, "We not only learned 'what' different professions are but also understood 'why' and 'how'."

Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School has always been committed to "nurturing future citizens with a global perspective and social responsibility." This Career Day event is a practice of this concept - by allowing students to get close to real industry scenarios, it helps them clarify their interests and establish goals in exploration, injecting clear ideas and lasting motivation into their future career planning and life choices. In the future, the school will continue to build more such practical platforms to help students "know their direction, have strength, and dare to explore" on their growth journey.