That was the message delivered on Saturday to the latest crop of University of Otago science graduates by astronomer and Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin (49).
Dr Griffin, who came to Dunedin from England two years ago, said his advice was born out of his own experiences, including life as a young student saddled with a ''huge'' overdraft.
Then, motivated by love and the desire to make enough money to raise a family, he had made the ''bold'' decision to apply to be the director of a small planetarium in Armagh, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles.
It was an ambitious attempt for a job he should ''never'' have been considered for but, ''probably because of Northern Ireland's violent reputation'', he faced little competition and secured the role.
''I was 24, about to get married, with no management experience and a huge student overdraft. Yet I was leading an institution employing 15 people with a budget of over $1 million per year.
''So being bold gave me a life changing opportunity.''
But Dr Griffin said other life lessons were to follow, including a complaint from a customer over one of the new exhibits he introduced at the planetarium after ignoring the advice of his staff.
The device, designed to tell people their weight on different planets, had been programmed to intone ''one at a time please'' if a group of children piled on together, he said.
Unfortunately, it had been set to do so if the total weight on the scales exceeded 120kg, prompting a complaint from ''a furious woman who apoplectically told me she had just been insulted by one of the exhibits''.
''This was a lesson in humility. I realised, not for the first time in my life, that I didn't know everything.''
He also urged the science graduates to ''give back'' by playing an active role in society and finding a way to encourage support for, and understanding of, their research.
''As scientists, I believe it's our moral duty to engage our fellow citizens. We need to argue the case for science.''
Dr Griffin's address was at the second of two graduation ceremonies on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier, Philippa Howden Chapman, a professor of public health at the University of Otago in Wellington, urged graduates to be part of a ''new effort'' to regain New Zealand's reputation for egalitarian fairness, social innovation, inclusion and tolerance.
She also urged them to travel and ''learn all you can'' about other places, cultures and new ideas - but not to forget to return to New Zealand.
''We need you, your ideas, your enthusiasm and your commitment to again make our country exceptional, a special place which we can all be really proud to call home.''
