We 'mature', 'part-time', 'non-traditional' types carry around a lot of baggage. Our varied working lives and academic histories sometimes weigh heavily. Phrases like 'portfolio career' sound glamorous, but we know the reality - complicated, challenging, tiring.
We also know what it's like to laugh uncomfortably at the question 'so, what do you do?', knowing the answer would take much longer than a casual enquirer anticipated, not knowing how to adequately distil our lives into a word or two.
It can be exciting though - I love those 'aha!' moments when suddenly I see a connection between something I've seen or read or done in one context and something I'm doing in entirely another.
But 'aha!' moments soon slip away to be replaced by the frantic or the mundane details of juggling everyday life. Ideas are lost, connections severed.
For us, education means more than gaining new knowledge and skills. We need a flexible framework which accommodates and encourages individuality, reflection and connection.
I think that's where eportfolios come in.