The journey from VET practitioner to academic researcher is not an easy one, especially for VET teachers whose educational research training in action and ethnographic research have been inculcated through years of practice. This paper discusses the highlights of the journey from practitioner to practitioner researcher including a discussion of the nature and value of practitioner research to individuals and institutions. The paper also presents the author's first research project as part of that journey. It examines the implications of the research as well as the challenges and opportunities it and future research provide for individual practitioners and their institutions.