Category: Midlifer’s Guide

A Midlifer’s Guide To College: What I Would Have Done Differently

by Sarah Burchard | Feb 12, 2025 | Midlifer's Guide, Opinions | 1 |

When I burned out in my early 30s and left my job, I had no other skills or degree to fall back on. Walking away from a steady salary into a world of entrepreneurship and “gigs” made me see how hard the “real world” was without formal education.

A Midlifer’s Guide to College: Why Go Back to School?

by Sarah Burchard | Jan 22, 2025 | Campus Opinions, Midlifer's Guide, Opinions | 1 |

For over a year, I ran the idea of going back to school past friends. It would take me eight years if I went part-time. By the time I earned my BA I’d be 51 years old, I’d accrue years of debt and there’d be no guarantee on the other side of finding a job I loved that paid well. “You don’t need it,” they’d say. “You’re already in the industry.”

Voices & Views

Lisa Kobuke
Professor Lisa Kobuke has been teaching Japanese for 16 years at KCC, although she began teaching at UH Mānoa. Professor Kobuke first got into teaching back when she attended UH Mānoa and was required to teach Japanese in order to earn a scholarship. Her mother, who came from Japan, taught Japanese as well, so that interested Professor Kobuke as well. She loved getting her first class, but she also remembers scripting her entire lectures the night before during her early semesters of teaching. "I just love Japanese literature and I see so much that I want to share about Japanese culture. Language is just one avenue in which I can share that," said Professor Kobuke. "It's more of a package. You cannot separate language, culture, and history. Everything is together. It's my mission to share that." Some of her favorite Japanese literature includes "The Tale of Heike" and "Hōjōki." Professor Kobuke loves the KCC community. "I feel a deeper connection with the students here," said Professor Kobuke. "I love getting to know the students, getting to joke around in class, or finding out how you're going to use the language you're learning." Professor Kobuke currently resides in Kāneʻohe because she "has to see the Koʻolaus." In her free time she likes to read or appreciate art in museums.