Career planning blog by Patrick O’Connor

Turning What You Love Into What You Do

Turning What You Love Into What You Do

The Effect of Quitting College – A Lesson in Zigzagging

What happens when people leave college without graduating? Much of what they do can be referred to as zigzagging, which is moving from job to job, trying out different career paths. So how do they turn what they love into what they do, and what can we learn from them? ...
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Turning What You Love into What You Do: A College Senior’s Approach

This blog segment chronicles the three-step process — Examine, Explore, Envision —a college senior has taken to turn what she loves into what she does. She is an excellent example of the Road Less Traveled (RLT) Mindset, which basically means to take control of your future. ...
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HOW TO Actually Live your Passion

Here's some guidance to turn what you love into what you do. Follow this three-step process to take control of your future: examine, explore and envision. There are three main points along the career continuum where the steps apply: initial, transitional and encore. Ready, set, go! ...
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An Alumni Update from the Road Less Traveled Retirees

A main difference between working and being retired is that you no longer get up, get dressed and go to work five or more days a week. Now you must fill your own time and structure your own day. That's easy if you have a passion outside of work. The three Road Less Traveled alums featured here have merged their work and leisure lives together. They have leveraged their work experience into a smaller role that keeps them “in the game.” They have increased their time and energy doing things they have always loved. Now, they just have a little more time to do it. ...
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Wisdom from the Road Less Traveled

Pat O'Connor kicked off his new blog one year ago, focusing on the winning characteristics of successful people who have overcome obstacles on their way to "Turning What You Love into What You Do," as his blog title suggests. These people are featured in O'Connor's previous written work, "The Road Less Traveled." Here you can read a recap of the wisdom RLT subjects embody. Happy Anniversary, Pat! ...
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The Critical Capacity to Adapt

Adaptability is defined as “the process of adapting or becoming used to a new situation.” Often, this capacity is tested when changing conditions are beyond our control, which makes adaptability even more important. Lifelong learning is the vehicle for adapting to the changes that affect each of us every day. ...
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The Arts: An Outlet, a Career Path or Both?

The arts have value as a career path as well as an outlet for personal enjoyment. Each Road Less Traveled (RLT) subject has engaged the arts in both roles. This blog segment examines how the arts are interwoven in the lives of people who have turned what they love into what they do.  ...
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“Hard” Soft Skills

“Hard” soft skills refer to qualities like resiliency, grit, tenacity, perseverance and a will to fight through adversity. These skills are the undergirding and foundation of soft skills. In a millennial world, we find ourselves constantly having to reimagine, redirect, reinvent and reboot ourselves. It is almost an essential basic skill to hit the reset button… over and over. ...
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