Paalanen was a four-time NCAA Division II outdoor track and field All-American in the javelin in his career at Southern (1998- 2001). He was a three-time MIAA champion in the event (1998, 99, 2001) and earned the MIAA Athlete of the Week honor six times in his career. Paalanen still holds the second-best javelin performance in the history of Southern at 215 feet, 1 inch.

Paalanen was a 2001 graduate of Missouri Southern with a degree in kinesiology. He went on to earn a masters degree in physical education from the University of Jyvaskyla (Finland) and currently serves as a senior lecturer at Haaga-Helia University in Finland. He has one child, Minea.