What happens when an etic category or label like “first-generation students” enters public discourse? In the Netherlands, public discussions of first-generation or first-in-family students and their predicaments have arisen in recent years. But few people grow up thinking of themselves in those terms. Not a common identity-marker, the concept is introduced in other moments, like in news items or in participatory research projects. But to what effect? And does it stigmatize or help?
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We propose that writing can be employed to foster the kind of career learning required in the twenty-first century. The article offers insights into how writing exercises and approaches can be applied to help students construct their career stories in a way that allows them to engage in a dialogical learning process and work in a self-directed way. Creative, expressive and reflective writing practices are described and parallels are drawn between these and existing practices and theories in narrative career counselling. Key exercises in graduate courses for writing for personal development are discussed and a theoretical explanation is given as to why a particular order of approaches and exercises works best to promote career learning.
Human beings are, above all, narrative creatures, extremely sensitive to good stories. The (implicit) stories of futurologists have their own characteristic structure, when they outline what our future full of technology will look like. One element of their narrative structure is often that the speaker, through an important (personal) life event, has come to understand the deeper meaning of how we as humanity are moving from the still imperfect present to a perfect future. A classic, Saul became Paul, or Ebenezer Scrooge an enlightened and fine man, after his encounter with the spirits. However, a good story that moves an entire room does not make it true. Right now, when our entire future is at stake, stories from futurologists who get it all are very welcome. Who would not want a happy ending told by an omniscient prophet? Unfortunately, they are even more misleading than welcome. It is argued why.
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