This article centres on the importance given by individuals to the process of education in labour market transitions and how they manage to overcome obstacles to achieve their goals. Many of the stories in the Spanish research were transformative and innovative despite the context of high levels of unemployment in Spain due to the global economic crisis. In this article the educational context is explained together with the educational paths available to go to university, to vocational education and training, or towards abandonment. Qualitative data analysis has been conducted to analyse the narrative interviews. The stories highlight the transformative results of those who participate in formal education, and that learning from experience and cultural intelligence are used as strategies to follow for overcoming the challenges of labour market transitions.