This is a chapter about the times of muteness and the lost sense of professional value that can be experienced in the endeavour of becoming an academic. The frustration and intimidation experienced in the struggle of making sense of the academic values when coming into academia as a mature junior scholar is discussed, together with questions such as how God can be a lobster and how to talk about the experience of becoming an academic with a shared vocabulary. The concept of “the lobster syndrome” is mobilised to open up academics (new and established) to talk about the times of muteness experienced in the continuous efforts of becoming academics, and how to turn this into experience"es of progress.