Introduction
Within career literature, different metaphors provide a more nuanced view of how career can be perceived and interpreted in and from different contexts. Career metaphors (Baruch 2004; Inkson, 2004, 2006, 2007) acknowledge the complexity inherent in career studies and research, in that different lenses can be used through which career scholars can explore careers. This paper considers the contemporary metaphors used in career literature pertaining to career development in an international context in particular. It reviews those metaphors in the context of an empirical study conducted by the author with a sample of skilled self-initiated expatriates (SEs) (Suutari and Brewster, 2000). This paper argues that a new metaphor is required to encompass the overlapping elements influencing career opportunities and choices; elements concerning the individual him/her-self (competencies, qualifications, ambition), his/her relationships and roles prioritization at different points of time, work opportunities and the economic employment situation in a particular country. The metaphor of career “rivers” to describe the career development of the sample in the study is put forth as a more succinct description of their experiences.