I also never really agreed with the idea that the stutter doesn't define me. If I'm being honest, most of the decisions I've made were based on some voice in the back of my head constantly doubting if I can say something fluently. It wasn't all bad though. I actually learned a few useful skills while avoiding speaking situations. Seriously. I developed the ability to learn quickly (for example, remembering and repeating things I was shown when I was being trained on my last job) because asking questions is horribly difficult for me. And I got really good at analyzing information and problem solving. I don't know about you, but I always seem to know when I'm going to get stuck on something, even before I say anything. Its almost like a weird spidey sense. I always find myself having to switch around words and phrasing things differently in an attempt to avoid these blocks. I'm in my third year of my degree and my courses now are pretty much just abstract analysis, so this analysis skill really comes in handy.