Research on professional identity places various emphasis on the influence of internal or external components (Beijaard, Meijer and Verloop 2004; McGillivray 2008; Osgood 2010), which can create tension between the normative and subjective view of what it means to be a particular type of professional. This small scale research sought to uncover the nature of professional identity formation for a group of undergraduates on a pilot pathway to Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) at an embryonic stage in the development of this new professional status. The study took a humanist (Rogers 1961; Knowles 1998) and phenomenological (Husserl 1970; Creswell 2009) approach to uncover the inner world of professional identity development as the candidates progressed on the pathway. Candidates saw themselves as navigating the interface of external and internal expectations to establish their professional identity. This was underpinned by a strong base of passionate care which provided both identity and purpose for the Early Years Professional (EYP). (author abstract)