The stakeholder left college early due to a lack of support and guidance on transitioning to a career. While self-learning allowed him to build problem-solving skills, connections from college could have provided benefits. He feels it would have been better to find the right college fit. Maintaining connections in his field and understanding market shifts are important, but he prioritizes passion over short-term gains. Building trust in online relationships is challenging but important for opportunities. The stakeholder would be served by more meaningful connections to feel less isolated in his work.

1. Empathize and Define
Empathize and Define

2. Empathy Map

3. SAY
• ―Family freaked – fear was the primary emotion clouding the whole arena‖. Overall impetus was to ―get the hell out of here
and see what happens‖.
• ―The college didn’t really know how to help transition musicians into the real world at that time‖.
• …―had no real clue how to transition from studying music to a life as a professional‖
• ―Learning math and science helped build an ability to apply logic and solve problems- to figure s_it out‖.
• In retrospect- ―yeah I’m a self learner AND it would have been great to go to Harvard for 4 years‖… ―connections made in
college are a huge resource‖… name brand value vs. actual education are both helpful.
• ―People who are going to be successful are going to be no matter what, whether they go to college or not…‖
• Self learning allows for ―intuitive insight to lead over intellectual understanding‖ sometimes creating ―holes‖ which one must
then either take the time to plug by researching and gaining knowledge, or choose to plow forward on work project and fill
the hole after.
• ―Big difference between tackling a work project and tackling a hole…‖ ―…take time and energy (off the clock) to address an
area of knowledge that is lacking, learning potentially dull and boring stuff, but helps to build a more massive foundation‖.
• ―Staying plugged into the ebb and flow of business is important- acknowledging when it’s time to make a short term shift
based on shift in market, or make the choice to stick with the things you love‖ regardless, and hope for the best...
• Re: doing biz on the internet: ―it’s a mind field doing business with people you don’t know and may never meet. Trust issues
loom large. If you can transition them to a real relationship, then potential grows.‖

4. THINK
• Higher education is valuable to build skills based on content learned, so long as it doesn’t fully replace intuitive
impulses that often guide one to gain knowledge that sticks and has meaning.
• College is an opportunity to gain a network of friends and potential resources in life.
• In the era that this stakeholder went to college, there was not a very clear map for how to transition from school to
professional work, one was pretty much on one’s own.
• Self-learners grow a solid capacity to solve problems and figure out how to plug holes in ones understanding
(either content or skills).
• Taking the time to do the research and gain the knowledge of whatever skills/content is lacking to enable projects
to flow is important, but should be done off the clock, and isn’t always inspiring.
• It’s important to keep a finger on the pulse of ones business, to grow and make adjustments as needed in order to
stay employed, but also to not loose ones love for what inspires them.
• Being able to trust the people one is working with/for is essential, and thus growing a relationship based on a
sense of shared meaning and purpose is important for meaningful connection to be made and potential to be
realized.

5. FEEL
• It was hard to move forward without family’s support, yet to be true to self it was essential.
• Didn’t feel fully supported by school either, so striking out on ones own seemed the best approach
at the time.
• In retrospect, it would have been good to take more complete advantage of what college could
have offered, found the right fit and stuck with it… Allowing for greater confidence and
employment potential based on having learned more concrete mechanical/electronic skills, as well
as having had the chance to build a wider network of support.
• Support is essential for feeling like one has a spring-board to really soar.
• Strength is gained by having to forge forward on ones own—experiential learning provides one
with a sense of know how- being able to figure things out no matter how daunting- granting a
specific kind of confidence gained by building knowledge based on intuition, insight and
experience.
• Trust, a sense of connection and community helps to ground and grow ones work in the world.

6. Stakeholder:
• This stakeholder’s bright, independent
and inquisitive spirit enables him to
innovate, take on challenges and take
risks with a sense of confidence even
though he did not end up getting a
college degree.

7. Problem/need:
Stakeholder would be served by a more
meaningful way of connecting with others in
his field, and potential clients in need of his
services.

8. Insight:
Stakeholder would benefit from feeling
more connected.

9. connection