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Medical school was the safe path for Boken Lin. His parents wanted him to become a doctor, and he prepared for this profession until realizing that he wanted something different for himself.

“Against the advice of all of my family and friends, I went against the path that I had spent my entire school life preparing for and dived headfirst into technology,” Boken said during WorldQuant University’s Master of Science in Financial Engineering graduation ceremony on July 31, 2026.

Speaking as the Outstanding Graduate from the March 2026 cohort, Boken cautioned against the risk of success.

“The greatest risk is not trying something and failing,” he said. “The greatest risk is succeeding at a life that was never truly ours.”

Boken said people can fall into this trap when a path appears safe and popular.

“Not every risk looks risky,” he said. “Sometimes risks can look like safety. They can look like stability, prestige, or success. For example, choosing a respected and well-paid career that is approved by everyone around us certainly feels safe.”

When Boken switched from health care to software development, he found himself behind his peers.

“I didn't study engineering or computer science in school, so on paper I was behind,” he said. “But because I was driven by passion, I spent all of my free time learning about new programming frameworks.”

He took on projects that no one assigned and persevered through failure.

“Over time, those efforts compounded,” he said. “Just like investment returns can generate more returns, each skill helped me learn the next skill faster and each opportunity opened the door to the next opportunity.”

Boken caught up quickly. After finishing his studies at the North Toronto Collegiate Institute and CFA Institute, he became a serial tech entrepreneur. His startups include Onion Corporation, Sonnet Labs, and GotMenu. He also developed technology solutions at Linsberry Media and served as Director of Business Development at Botwood Distribution and Wholesale.

Boken also advises early-stage technology companies on scaling engineering teams and technology architectures.

“I'm very happy to report that all of my doctor friends have been coming to me for advice on which tech company to invest in,” he said.

Watch on YouTube
Boken Lin: Outstanding Graduate Acceptance Speech (4:08)