In light of the fact that it will soon be our turn to move from students to professionals, it is of interest to investigate the professional careers of individuals already working in HR and to examine what leads to a professional identity. The aim of the study is thus, to define HR professionals' experiences about their path into the profession and what characterizes the most important experiences on the road to their professional identity. To answer the aim of the study, we interviewed 6 active HR professionals in both the private and public sectors. The collected material has been analyzed thematically. In order to answer our research questions,organizational socialization, career development as a socialization process and professional identity were used as theoretical tools. From the results, three themes have emerged: the first workplace, breaking points and professional identity, which are aspects that have been most prominent in the career of the HR employees. The results show that the path into the HR profession is difficult and that HR employees perceive that there is a high demand for practical experience in the field. Contacts within the work-life therefore prove to be essential for receiving a job. It also emerged that professional identity is developed and stabilized through experience in the sector, but that it is constantly evolving as learning is a lifelong process.