As an early career academic I have had the opportunity to reflect on my early experiences in academia. This paper is a reflection on my journey through rough seas to calmer waters. This paper describes an uneasy voyage of experience, from confident practitioner to uncertain academic. Helping to steer me through uncharted waters on the high seas of academia was the Graduate Certificate in Education (University Teaching). This experience was instrumental in my development as an academic. Key to this personal reflection is discovery, action and reflection.