Ask most people what they think it woould be like be a pilot and you'll get the same picture: crisp uniforms, layovers in glamorous cities, that effortless confidence walking through the airport. Instagram is full of it the cockpit selfies, the sunset landings, the caption that makes it look like one long holiday with better parking.

Craig Harmon has lived the real version for twenty-five years. He always wanted to fly chose his school subjects around it, went through the Air Force to get there, and now flies long haul for a major airline. What he'll tell you is that the job is real, but so is everything the Instagram photos leave out.

The reality is methodical and unforgiving. Every six months, Craig sits check rides that decide whether he keeps the licence that lets him do his job at all. There's no such thing as coasting the standards reset, over and over, for an entire career. And the job doesn't run on a normal calendar. Aviation operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, which means Craig often won't know where he'll be for Christmas until the week before. That cost doesn't just land on him. It lands on his family too.

But he's clear that he'd do it again. The financial trajectory. The travel. And something harder to put a number on flying into Sydney on a clear day and still not quite believing he gets paid to do it.

If you've ever wondered what the job actually asks of the person flying the plane, this one's the one you need to listen to.

In this episode:

• [01:19] The three real pathways into aviation, and why Craig chose the Air Force route
• [03:08] What a day in the life of a long-haul pilot actually looks like
• [06:05] Why pilots sit check rides every six months, and what's riding on them
• [07:24] The financial cost of breaking into aviation, early career vs. established
• [09:21] Why Craig often doesn't know where he'll spend Christmas until the week before and what that costs his family
• [10:30] The payoff: the passion that hasn't faded, and the moments that still don't feel like work
• [17:00] What Craig would tell his twenty-year-old self

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

Sarah Clisdell spent 18 years climbing the corporate ladder before she ever stepped into a boxing ring.

Straight out of school, Sarah moved roles and industries every 18 months, testing out different paths until she landed in one corporate role for the next 18 years. She built a career around big job titles, big pay packets and proving to herself she was capable. Then, in her 40s, she hit a wall in both her career and her fitness journey, and found Muay Thai.

In this episode, Sarah takes us through her honest path from corporate leader to owner and coach of RISE Muay Thai Fitness, a women's only gym she built from the ground up during COVID. We talk about the discipline that carried her from corporate life into the ring, the loneliness of running a business alone, and why she still doesn't feel "ready" for what's next, and does it anyway.

We cover:

• Why she left a stable corporate career to open her own gym in the middle of a pandemic
• The emotional cost of business ownership no one talks about
• How she structures her day around a 4am start to protect her most productive hours
• Why she works with a business coach, even as the coach
• The skills from corporate life that carried straight into running RISE
• Why communication will matter more, not less, as AI reshapes work
• What she'd tell her 20 year old self about fear and failure

This one's for anyone who feels stuck choosing between stability and what actually lights them up. Especially the students and career changers who think starting over means starting from zero, it doesn't.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

Anna Lohkemper didn't grow up dreaming of a career in tech. She grew up dreaming of Broadway.

At 18, Anna moved to New York for musical theatre school, chasing a career in performance. After two years of auditions against hundreds of girls fighting for the same roles, the dream didn't work out. She moved home to Atlanta feeling like a complete failure, and started over.

In this episode, Anna takes us through her honest, non-linear path from performer to Solutions Consultant at Workday, and how the skills she built on stage, reading a room, adapting on the spot, staying calm under pressure, are the exact skills carrying her through boardrooms across Europe and the Middle East today.

We cover:

• What a Solutions Consultant actually does day to day
• Why the "5% of the job is the demo, 95% is the prep"
• How she juggles 25-30 live opportunities at once
• Becoming the trusted advisor in the room, and why that matters more than being the salesperson
• How she uses AI to manage note-taking, follow-ups and RFP responses
• The real cost of the role: travel, always being "on," and switching off
• Why she believes nothing she learned chasing her dream was ever wasted

This one's for anyone who feels like their path took a detour it wasn't supposed to. Especially the students, parents and mid-career professionals who think their old skills don't count for anything, they usually do.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

What does a digital marketer actually do all day? Danni Russell started out studying science at university, then left after realising a lab job wasn't for her. She eventually found her way into digital marketing — and now runs her own digital marketing agency.

In this episode, Danni breaks down digital marketing careers in plain terms why it's less about clever captions and more about data, testing, and numbers.

What you'll learn:

• The difference between SEO and AEO (AI engine optimisation), and why it matters now
• How AI has quietly shaped marketing for years, long before ChatGPT made it obvious
• Why a scroll-stopping ad still won't save you if your landing page has a broken button
• What a day in the life of a digital marketer really looks like
• The skills that will matter most as AI takes over the busywork
• What it's like running your own marketing agency, including the lifestyle trade-offs

If you're a student considering a marketing career, or you think digital marketing is just clever captions and pretty ads, this conversation will change your mind.

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

Josh Nicholls left school in Year 10, started his electrical apprenticeship at 15, and by 22 had launched his own business with nothing but a van and a plan. Twenty-five years later, he's the founder of two national companies, Platinum Electricals and Jet Black Plumbing, and he's already stepped back from the day-to-day.

In this episode, Josh breaks down what it actually takes to go from apprentice to business owner: why you don't need to be the best tradesperson to succeed, how to build a business that can run without you, and why he believes EQ will matter more than any technical skill as AI reshapes the workplace.

This one's for any student weighing up a trade, an apprenticeship, or starting their own business one day. Josh proves the traditional path isn't the only path to success.

In this episode:

• Starting an apprenticeship at 15 with zero understanding of electrical work
• Why "focus on your strengths, delegate your weaknesses" changed everything
• Building two national businesses without sacrificing family time
• Why trades won't be replaced by AI
• His advice to his 20-year-old self

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

What do psychologists actually do at work if they're not a therapist?

Jaymon Kirk is an Industrial Organisational (IO) Psychologist at HireVue, one of the world's leading hiring assessment companies. His job is to apply psychology science to hiring making sure the AI-powered tools companies use to assess candidates are valid, fair, and actually predict who will do well in the role.

In this episode Jaymon breaks down what Industrial Organisational psychology is, how he accidentally ended up in the field (he started engineering), and what it looks like to apply psychology inside global organisations across Australia, Asia and the US.

What you'll learn:

• What IO psychology actually is and how it differs from clinical or counselling psychology
• How AI is being used in hiring right now and why the human psychology lens matters
• How Jaymon went from engineering to working with global companies
• Why critical thinking is the skill he thinks matters most for young people
• What he wishes he'd known at 20

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

Ever wondered who tracks down the wealthy people who give away millions to universities, charities and causes? This week on The 20 Minute Career, Jane talks to Stephanie Papadopolous who works in Prospect Development/Research at the University of Sydney, uncovering and researching the donors behind major philanthropic gifts a career almost nobody knows exists.

Steph's path in was anything but linear. She studied journalism, then made a pivot to veterinary science. Decided to do some travelling and did some marketing in Spain before returning to Sydney and landing ther job in Prospect development where she researches and identifies potential donors for one of Australia's largest university advancement teams.

In this episode, Steph breaks down what Prospect Development/Research actually involves, why due diligence is becoming a bigger part of the job, and how AI is already shifting her team's work from generating information to reviewing it. Underneath it all, she's clear that people skills and human judgement are what keep the role from ever being fully automated and that watching a gift finally land, like a recent $100 million donation for STEM scholarships, is what makes the work worth it.

What we cover:

• How Steph landed in a career she'd never heard of, via journalism, vet science and a stint in Spain
• What Prospect Development/Research actually is, and how it fits into the philanthropic funnel
• Why due diligence and risk assessment are a growing part of the role
• The difference between fundraiser personalities and prospect development personalities
• How AI is shifting her team from generating content to reviewing it
• The $100 million gift that reminded her why she loves the job
• Her honest take on pressure and working in the not-for-profit space
• Advice on aiming for 70% done, and why she wishes she'd found a mentor sooner

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

Ever wondered what a career in marketing actually looks like beyond the creative brief? This week I sits down with Rushenka Perera, VP of Marketing at SAP, to find out what B2B marketing really involves — and it's a lot more than you'd expect.

Rushenka shares her honest path into marketing emerging from university straight into a recession and grabbing the first opportunity with both hands. From that starting point she's built a career spanning global teams, major events, and some of the biggest enterprise brands in the world.

In this episode Rushenka breaks down what field marketing actually is, why pipeline is the number one goal, and how AI is already reshaping the way her team works from predicting which customers are ready to buy, to replacing hours of manual data analysis.

But underneath all of it? Her belief that marketing is fundamentally about human connection. And that's the one thing AI can't replicate.

What we cover:

• How Rushenka found her way into marketing and why she stayed
• What field marketing actually is and what it looks like day to day
• Why pipeline, brand and customer advocacy are the three goals that drive everything
• Running 250+ events a year across Australia and New Zealand
• How AI is being used right now inside one of the world's biggest tech companies
• The real cost of working in a fast-paced global tech role
• Why human connection is still the most powerful tool in a marketer's arsenal
• Her advice on networking, being bold and never having regrets

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday. 🔗 Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/the20minutecareer 📲 Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareer 🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

What does it actually look like to build a career around reducing waste and do it inside a major retailer?

Pen Turnbull didn't plan a career in sustainability. She started by volunteering five hours a week at a tiny social enterprise salvaging timber from earthquake rubble in Christchurch. That one email changed everything.

Now she leads waste minimisation and circular economy programs across a large retail group keeping unsellable product out of landfill, shifting how thousands of employees think about materials, and proving that real change happens inside big organisations, not just small ones.

In this episode

• How a late career pivot led to her most purposeful work
• Why she chose corporate over social enterprise and why it was the right call
• The emotional weight of caring about the planet as part of your job
• What circular economy actually means in a retail context
• Why she'd tell her 20-year-old

If you're drawn to environmental work, sustainability, or any role where your values and your job need to align this one's for you.

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday.

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🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.

Engineering is one of those careers that sounds straight forward from the outside. You build things. You solve problems. You apply what you learned at university and get on with it.

Mark Sproule started where a lot of engineers start curious, hands-on, and drawn to figuring out how things work. As a kid it was old boats. At university it was biomedical engineering. At ResMed it was prototyping with 3D printers, and the thrill of seeing a design come to life. But after four years inside one of Australia's most recognised medical device companies, Mark realised something - he was a very small cog in a very large machine. And he wanted to know what it felt like to build the machine himself.

So he left and joined a University friend and co-founded Reach Robotics a company building underwater robotic arms for underwater drones. Robots sent to disarm underwater mines so humans don't have to. Arms attached to unmanned underwater vehicles monitoring offshore oil rigs for corrosion. Niche, complex, and genuinely important work.

What followed was the founder journey in full and Mark doesn't sugarcoat any of it. The pressure doesn't arrive once and stay constant. It arrives in waves. First it's whether you can actually build the product. Then whether anyone will buy it. Then whether you can make it reliably enough that customers don't call you at midnight saying it's failed in the field. And underneath all of it, every single month, can we make payroll?

He also talks about the ethics decision - their biggest ever purchase order, a foreign buyer, and an Australian Defence Force disclosure requirement that forced a choice between revenue and integrity. They chose integrity.

And he gets honest about the cost. When you're a founder, you never really clock off. The business lives in your head at dinner, at bedtime, and at 2am. That kind of mental load compounds. But Mark also reframes it, if you deeply care about what you're building, is that really a cost?

What surprised him most was what the whole experience gave back. Not just professionally but personally. Building something from nothing, selling a product people were willing to pay for, developing systems he was proud of.

If you're thinking about engineering, curious about what it actually takes to start something, or just want to hear an honest account of the founder life this one is worth 20 minutes of your time.

In this episode:

• How fixing old boats as a kid led Mark to a career in engineering
• What it felt like to leave a stable job at ResMed to co-found a startup from scratch
• What Reach Robotics actually built — and why it mattered
• The wave of pressures every founder faces — and why they never really stop
• The ethics decision when running a business
• Why working with people is harder than any engineering problem
• What building something from nothing did for his confidence
• What Mark would tell his 20-year-old self

Subscribe for more honest career conversations, new episodes every Wednesday.

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📲 Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareer

🎙️ The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations.