The 20 Minute Career

Simon finished Uni and landed the graduate job. He spent five years in an office writing reports, falling behind on deliverables, and collecting a couple of performance warnings. He stopped feeling like he was any good at work. A nine to five office job really didn’t suit him, and that’s not a character flaw it was just a reality. So he quit with no plan and no job, and flew to Sweden.What happened next is the story. A Masters in sustainability, a stack of spreadsheets sent over from Sydney each night, and a working day that suited him. It turned out the thing he was bad at in the office was the thing he was brilliant at when he worked his own way. Now he runs a sustainability consultancy that uses AI to look at the contents of a skip bin and work out what’s in it.In this episode, Jane Butler talks with Simon Lunn, who went from environmental scientist to sustainability tech founder. He Talks about his dream job that didn’t exist, why waste is really a data problem, and the hard parts of working for yourself.If you’re a student heading toward a graduate role and quietly wondering whether an office job is really for you, this one is for you.In this video, I cover:✅ Why Simon picked environmental science and the cash his dad left on the fridge✅ The dream of working outdoors versus the reality of contaminated land consulting✅ Why five years of office report writing left him feeling bad at his job✅ Quitting with no plan and moving to Sweden✅ How working remotely, in short focused bursts, finally suited him✅ Why sustainability is hard to define and even harder to measure✅ How he built an app and an AI tool to track what’s inside a skip bin✅ The hard parts and the freedoms of running your own business✅ His advice for graduates who don’t want to just jump into a graduate roleChapter Timestamps:0:38 - Why environmental science2:29 - When the office work wasn’t working3:30 - Quitting for Sweden4:22 - Finding a way of working that suited him7:07 - Why data matters in sustainability9:12 - Building the app and starting "Traste"11:01 - Skip bins, photos and AI13:28 - The hard parts of running a business15:15 - Technology and the future of recycling16:54 - Where AI takes the business next19:04 - Skills that will matter in the AI era19:44 - What’s exciting about the future of waste and sustainabilityAbout the Channel:The 20 Minute Career provides real-world career insights through honest conversations with professionals. We help students and job seekers understand the true nature of different jobs to make better career decisions.Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday.Connect with us:🔗 Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareer📲 Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareerThe 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.#EnvironmentalScience #Sustainability #WasteManagement #AIinSustainability #ClimateTech #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #StudentCareers #The20MinuteCareer #FutureOfWork

A careers presentation at sixteen, and Brooke Duffy knew what she wanted to do. Today she's a paediatric occupational therapist (OT) who helps children build the skills behind opening a snack packet, holding a pencil, or getting through a morning routine, all through play. In this episode of The 20 Minute Career, she tells Jane Butler what occupational therapy actually involves, how a Year 10 careers program at her local hospital and a vocational educational training course led her there, and what the job costs emotionally. If you're a student curious about healthcare, or you want a career built on real relationships with people, this conversation gives you the unfiltered version.In this video, I cover:✅ What occupational therapy actually is, and why it has nothing to do with employment.✅ How a Year 10 hospital program and a nursing VET course led Brooke to OT.✅ What the four-year degree involves, including 1,000 hours of placement.✅ A day in the life of a paediatric OT, from fine motor sessions to parent coaching.✅ How therapy looks like play but builds the foundations for handwriting.✅ The hardest part: NDIS funding pressure, parent expectations and the mental load that follows you home.✅ How hospital OT and private practice differ.✅ How Brooke uses AI to take the note-taking load off so she can connect with families.✅ The mistake that taught her the most, and the skills you need to succeed.✅ Why she's excited about where OT is heading.Chapter Timestamps:0:00 - Why some kids need an OT0:38 - What is occupational therapy?1:25 - Knowing she wanted OT since Year 102:34 - The OT degree and placements3:31 - A day in the life of a paediatric OT4:19 - Fine motor skills and therapy through play5:14 - What's hard about the job6:40 - How the job affects life outside work7:21 - Hospital vs private practice8:29 - How Brooke uses AI in her work10:34 - What inspires her to turn up11:17 - Career lessons, a mistake, and the skills that matter14:05 - The future of OTAbout the Channel:The 20 Minute Career provides real-world career insights through honest conversations with professionals. We help students and job seekers understand the true nature of different jobs to make better career decisions.Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday.Connect with us:Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareerFollow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareerThe 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.#OccupationalTherapy #OT #PaediatricOT #HealthcareCareers #CareerAdvice #CareerGuidance #AlliedHealth #NDIS #FutureOfWork #Australia #the20minutecareer

"I didn't want to be a real estate agent. That sounded terrible." That's how Tim Grosmann felt before he found his way into commercial property, where he's now spent fifteen years chasing what he calls the thrill of the win. In this episode of The 20 Minute Career, he tells Jane Butler what changed his mind, why relationships take years to build and even longer to pay off, and what it actually takes to earn that feeling. If you're a student curious about property, sales, or mid-career looking for a change and wondering what a career with real autonomy looks like, this conversation gives you the unfiltered version.In this video, I cover:✅ The terrible job interview that somehow turned into a thirteen-year career.✅ What a typical day actually looks like in commercial property sales.✅ The hardest part of the job: cold calling, rejection, and pitches you lose after months of work.✅ How AI is changing entry-level work in property, and why human judgment matters more because of it.✅ The real cost of the role, and why the first couple of years are the hardest.✅ What keeps Tim in the industry after fifteen years.✅ Where the property industry is heading, from build-to-rent to the future of office buildings.✅ Tim's advice to his twenty-year-old self.Chapter Timestamps:0:00 - The story that started it all0:37 - Did you always want to work in property?2:11 - A day in commercial property sales3:41 - Why relationships are everything4:07 - The hardest parts of the job5:50 - How AI is changing commercial property8:12 - The real cost: no off switch10:28 - What keeps Tim in the industry14:09 - The mistake that taught him the most15:27 - Skills that matter in property16:02 - Where the industry is heading: build-to-rentAbout the Channel:The 20 Minute Career provides real-world career insights through honest conversations with professionals. We help students and job seekers understand the true nature of different jobs to make better career decisions.Subscribe & FOLLOW for new episodes every Wednesday.Connect with us:Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareerFollow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareerThe 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.#PropertyCareers #CommercialRealEstate #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #SalesCareers #RealEstateAustralia #CareerGuidance #FutureOfWork #Australia

Ask most people who's making sure AI is safe and you'll get the same picture: big labs in the US and UK with whole teams built for the job. Angelica Chowdhury is doing that work from Sydney, in a field where the community is small and there's no established career path. In this episode of The 20 Minute Career, she tells Jane Butler what AI safety research actually involves, and how she's building a career in it from somewhere this remote. If you're a student curious about AI, or wondering what a career in tech could look like beyond building the technology, this conversation gives you the unfiltered version.In this video, I cover:✅ What AI safety actually means, and why it's broader than most people think.✅ Why the field needs more people working on safety than on making AI more capable.✅ Angelica's path in, from a data science degree to switching her focus without taking a career break.✅ What her days looked like while reading and upskilling around a full-time job.✅ How researchers test whether an AI can be trusted, explained through an apple and an orange.✅ The hardest part: a small, isolated community, two trips to Europe, and no established roles in Australia.✅ What she loves about the work, and why it suits people who thrive in uncertainty.✅ The mistake that taught her the most, and why self-doubt is visible to other people.Chapter Timestamps:0:00 - Why AI safety needs more people0:46 - What is AI safety?2:57 - Angelica's path into the field4:40 - Building a career around a full-time job6:16 - How do you test if an AI's judgment is real?8:35 - The hardest part: isolation and no established roles11:12 - What Angelica loves about AI safety13:26 - Why the field is short of people14:55 - The mistake that taught her the most15:31 - The skills that matterAbout the Channel:The 20 Minute Career provides real-world career insights through honest conversations with professionals. We help students and job seekers understand the true nature of different jobs to make better career decisions.Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday.Connect with us:Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareerFollow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareerThe 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.#AISafety #AICareers #TechCareers #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #DataScience #CareerGuidance #AIResearch #FutureOfWork #Australia

Ask most people what it takes to build a real career out of dance and you'll get the same answer: pick something more stable, this isn't a "real job." Kellie Singh built her whole career doing it anyway, and in this episode of The 20 Minute Career, she tells Jane Butler how a rented country hall turned into the biggest dance academy in rural NSW, a state business award, and a career her own daughter is now following her into. If you're a student wondering whether it's actually possible to build a real career out of a creative passion, this conversation gives you the unfiltered version.In this video I cover:✅ Why dance wasn't seen as a "real job" in the 80s and 90s, and how Kellie built a career in it anyway.✅ The moment a rented school hall turned into her own dance studio.✅ Why she chose teaching over performing, and what that decision taught her about herself.✅ Relocating to Tamworth and building Tamworth City Dance Academy (TCDA) from scratch with her husband.✅ The real cost of building a business that takes over your whole life, and what it meant for her family.✅ Why strengths matter alongside things like your ATAR, not instead of them, when it comes to choosing a career.✅ How TCDA became more than a dance studio, and turned into a community.✅ What Kellie would tell her twenty-year-old self.Chapter Timestamps:0:00 - What people get wrong about dance0:38 - Kellie's early passion for dance1:11 - Growing up in Inverell, and dance in the 80s and 90s2:26 - Buying her first studio2:52 - Choosing teaching over performing4:39 - Relocating to Tamworth and starting TCDA7:06 - The real cost: family, marriage, and building a business10:33 - "Who gets to do that": passion and gratitude11:12 - Why strengths-based thinking matters alongside ATARs12:13 - Building a community, not just a studio14:18 - Final five: fast questions19:36 - Advice to her twenty-year-old selfAbout the Channel:The 20 Minute Career provides real-world career insights through honest conversations with professionals. We help students and job seekers understand the true nature of different jobs to make better career decisions.Subscribe for new episodes every Wednesday.Connect with us:Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareerFollow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareerThe 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.#DanceCareer #CreativeCareers #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #TCDA #CareerGuidance #PassionToProfession #NonLinearCareer #DanceTeacher