Patrick Mazzocco: Breaking the Wall of Career Centrality
Honourable Mention in 2025 Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand!
Patrick Mazzocco, University of Otago
Career development practices and modern societal norms encourage existential tethering to one’s career. That is, the more meaning and purpose one has in their career, the more fulfilled and successful they will be. This study challenges that ideology, proposing that career breaks, instead of being perceived as undesirable interruptions, might be integral to 21st-century career development and lifelong learning.
Patrick has a diverse professional background as a photographer, horse wrangler, tour guide, and educator among other professions. These wide-ranging experiences have proven valuable in his current role as a career counsellor. He is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Otago, where his research focuses on the impact of voluntary career breaks in career narrative and identity construction.