The Just in time self? : work, aspiration and the limits of flexability in the creative economy

![CDATA[Several writers who have analysed the ‘new economy’ and reflexive individualism have suggested that in recent times young people from working class backgrounds have broken decisively with the vocational patterns their parents’ generation. No longer wedded to fixed occupational identities and communities of practice, they are now more likely to pursue individualistic dreams, developing capacities for flexibility and reinvention. This paper will evaluate the relative pulls of individualism and collectivism by exploring the biographical reflections of John, a man in his late twenties from the Western Suburbs of Sydney, who has worked in the music industry for seven years and is now facing the consequences of long-term precarious labour.]]