FLASHBACK.
WOW.
WELCOME BACK TO "LIVING 808."
SCHOOL CAN BE HARD.
IMAGINE GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE,
YOU CAN'T GET A JOB.
BEST THING YOU CAN DO IS GO BACK
TO SCHOOL AND CHANGE CAREERS.
NOT EASY BUT ISAAC DEMELLO DID
THAT.
IN TODAY'S CAREER MOVE SEGMENT,
HE TELLS US WHY IT WAS THE BEST
DECISION HE COULD HAVE POSSIBLY
MADE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
AND WOW, THAT IS NOT EASY.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY BACK
TO KAPIOLANI COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
I STARTED WITH A CHEMISTRY
DEGREE WITH U.H.
I DID THAT IN ABOUT FIVE YEARS.
I WASN'T LIKING THE WORK.
I WORKED IN A LACK WHEN I WAS IN
SCHOOL AND DIDN'T LIKE CHEMISTRY
AS MUCH AS I THOUGHT I DID.
AFTER I GRADUATEED, I TRIED
TEACHING.
WORKED AT A RESTAURANT.
SOLD TIME SHARE FOR ABOUT SIX
MONTHS.
BOUNCING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
AND WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING IS I
FOUND THESE JOBS THAT I DIDN'T
LIKE.
IT WASN'T THE WAY FOR ME TO GO.
SO I DECIDED MAYBE I'LL GO BACK
TO SCHOOL FOR ENGINEERING.
LIKE SOME OF THE CLASSES BUT WAS
LUCKY ENOUGH TO FIND MYSELF IN A
PROGRAMMING COURSE AND FELL IN
LOVE WITH THAT.
IT WAS INTERESTING.
I CHANGED MY MAJOR TO ICS AND
HAVEN'T LOOKED BACK.
John: ALL THE PLACES YOU
COULD HAVE GONE, WHY DID YOU GO
TO KCC?
LOCATION AND IT'S AFFORDABLE.
AND I LIKE THE ATMOSPHERE.
CLASSES ARE SMALL.
TEACHING ARE MORE WILLING TO
HELP YOU AND THEY'VE UNDERSTAND
I'M A NONTRADITIONAL STUDENT.
I WORK AND GO TO SCHOOL.
THEY'RE ACCOMMODATING.
FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE -- AND
TEACHERS ARE VERY INTERESTED IN
WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND YOUR
PASSION.
SO I HAVEN ONE TEACHER, HE WAS
MY CALCULUS TEACHER.
WE'RE TRYI'z DO MATH
EQUATIONS TO DO THE FANTASY
TEAM.
John: YOU'RE GOING TO GET A
LOT OF PHONE CALLS.
WE DIDN'T DO WELL.
IT WASN'T SUCCESSFUL BUT IT WAS
NATIONAL COMPETITION.
I KNOW THAT YOU WERE INVOLVED IN
AND YOU WENT UP AGAINST A LOT OF
BIG COLLEGES.
IT WAS AN INTERNATIONAL
COMPETITION.
IT STARTS OFF WITH ABOUT 250
SCHOOLS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
AND WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO
WAS DESIGN A ROCKET.
John: WE'RE SEEING A
PICTURE.
GO AHEAD.
SO IT SHOOTS UP AND SUPPOSED
TO DROP THIS SYSTEM THAT SPIRALS
DOWN AND TAKES DATA AS IT GOES
DOWN.
WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR DESIGNING
THAT.
IT WAS INTERESTING EXPERIENCE
BECAUSE WE GOT TO WORK WITH
ENGINEERS AND MECHANICAL ENG
NEARBIES.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO FLY OUT TO
TEXAS AND ABLE TO SHOOT OFF
AGAINST 62 TEAMS IN THE FINAL
WE ENDED UP TAKING 13TH PLACE.
John: COOL.
THAT IS A COOL LOOKING ROCKET.
MY BROTHER MADE SOME STUFF THAT
LOOKED SMALLER THAN THAT.
YEAH.
John: THAT MUST BE GRAD
FYING.
AND YOU WERE ABLE TO MAKE A
CHANGE.
WHY COMMUTER -- COMPUTER
SCIENCE?
I STUMBLED ACROSS IT.
IN THAT SITUATION WHERE I WAS
TAKING ALL THESE CLASSES AND I
HAPPENED TO TAKE THIS ONE CLASS.
I FELT LIKE I COULD USE MATH AND
ALL THESE CONCEPTS YOU NEVER
THINK TO BE CREATIVE TO BE
CREATIVE.
John: HOW HAVE YOUR
EXPERIENCES HELPED YOU WITH THE
STEM PROGRAM?
RIGHT.
STEM HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIG PART.
John: TELL US WHAT THAT IS.
STEM.
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS AT
KCC.
IT WAS A WAY TO HELP STUDENTS
GET INTO STEM SCIENCES.
AND IF THEY NEED EXTRA HELP WITH
ANY COURSES OR TUTORS.
IT OFFERS THAT ASSISTANCE.
John: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU
GIVE SOMEBODY MAYBE ON THE SAME
PATH YOU WERE.
FRUSTRATED.
NOT ABLE TO FIND A JOB.
I WOULD SAY THAT BEST THING
IS TO FOLLOW YOUR PASSION.
IT'S WORTH PURSUING.
HALF-HEARTED ABOUT WON'T GET YOU
FAR EMP.
THAT'S WHAT I DID MANY TIMES.
John: YOU HAPPY?
DEFINITELY MUCH HAPPIER THAN
BEFORE.
John: KCC PRETTY GOOD?
IT'S GREAT.
John: THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
I APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU.
COMING UP ON "LIVING 808,"
KAMA'AINA KIDS HAS BEEN SELECTED