Description: This paper draws on life history interviews with 90 young adults in the UK to consider some of Manuela du Bois Reymond's claims about the increasing prevalence of 'trendsetter learners' across Europe. Du Bois Reymond (2004) has argued that certain groups of young adults are at the forefront of developing new forms of learning in response to, what they perceive to be, the failings of formal education - namely the disjuncture between theory and practice within the education that they are offered and a lack of respect from many of the teachers with whom they come into contact. These young adults, she contends, are the 'trendsetter learners', creating youth cultural capital that helps to realise self-determined ways of living and learning. In considering these arguments, the paper explores other work that has also emphasised the increasing importance of 'choice' within the biographies of young people (for example, Beck and Beck Gernsheim, 1995 and Giddens, 1991). Methodology: The paper draws on data from the 'Young Graduates and Lifelong Learning' project funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council. Between September 2005 and January 2006, 90 in-depth life history interviews were conducted with graduates from six higher education institutions (HEIs) with different market positions. Young adults were contacted through a mailing from the alumni offices of the HEIs and adverts on 'Friends Reunited' website (a UK-based website that aims to put friends from school and college back in touch with one another). An hour-long interview was then conducted with those who volunteered at their place of work or in a public setting such as a local coffee shop. Interviews were wide-ranging and respondents were asked to talk about their learning experiences before higher education, while studying for their degree and since graduation. They were also asked questions about the types of work they had undertaken (both paid and voluntary), their leisure activities and the social networks to which they belonged. In total, the sample comprised 33 men and 57 women and was reasonably diverse in terms of: subject(s) studied in higher education; current sector of employment; and degree of engagement with lifelong learning. Conclusions: Although the full analysis is not yet complete (January 2006), initial findings and those from a pilot project (Brooks, 2006a and 2006b) suggest that the degree of autonomy, freedom and creativity in young people's patterns of learning that underpin du Bois Reymond's analysis is over-stated. Indeed, the paper will argue that while du Bois Reymond's work makes an important contribution to conceptualising the ways in which young Europeans engage with learning, her dichotomy between 'trendsetter learners' and 'disengaged learners' overlooks some of the complexity inherent in this relationship. Instead, the paper proposes a more nuanced typology, which recognises, firstly, the structuring nature of much workplace learning and, secondly, the social status attached to particular forms of more traditional learning.