Future of Fisheries: Perspectives for Emerging Professionals

Expand Your Horizons: The Importance of Stepping out of Your Comfort Zone

So-Jung Youn, William W. Taylor, C. Paola Ferreri, Nancy Léonard, and Amy Fingerle

doi: https://doi.org/10.47886/9781934874387.ch23

Beginning in childhood, we develop a self-image rooted in what we are good at and what we like to do. These ideas are often interconnected; oftentimes, we like to do what we are good at doing! One’s self-image becomes more defined through the course of pursuing a particular educational path and participating in extracurricular activities. Once we have completed our undergraduate studies, we often define ourselves by the title of our degrees. By saying “I am a biologist” or “I am a fisheries scientist,” you may feel that you are essentially stating that you are not any number of other things that your fellow students might have pursued. Further, a bad experience during a class presentation may have you thinking “I am not a good public speaker” while never having cast a line to catch a fish may have you convinced “I am not a fisherman.”