When he finished high school, he went to work selling coconuts on the street. His route took him past the Intercontinental Hotel and he used to watch the nicely-dressed workers going in and out and think how he would like to dress like that someday. One day he was standing next to an older man and mentioned his desire. The older man said, "Without education you can not do it." That's when Sang found extra classes to attend at night so he could learn English and better study habits.