The 20 Minute Career

Jane Butler
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Have you ever said "I wish someone had told me what the job was actually like" or "I wish I knew that job existed" If you have or you're trying to avoid thinking it in five years from now this show is for you. The 20 Minute Career gives students, graduates and real professionals the honest conversations about jobs and careers that nobody else is having. Twenty minutes. One real professional. Zero filter. Every episode covers the Path, Pressure, Price and Payoff of careers across every industry. Real people. Real jobs. Honest conversations. Follow now. www.the20minutecareer.com

  1. 2d ago

    Environmental Scientist to Sustainability Founder: Why Simon Lunn Quit the 9-5

    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 role Chapter Timestamps: 0:38 - Why environmental science 2:29 - When the office work wasn’t working 3:30 - Quitting for Sweden 4:22 - Finding a way of working that suited him 7:07 - Why data matters in sustainability 9:12 - Building the app and starting "Traste" 11:01 - Skip bins, photos and AI 13:28 - The hard parts of running a business 15:15 - Technology and the future of recycling 16:54 - Where AI takes the business next 19:04 - Skills that will matter in the AI era 19:44 - What’s exciting about the future of waste and sustainability About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #EnvironmentalScience #Sustainability #WasteManagement #AIinSustainability #ClimateTech #CareerChange #CareerAdvice #StudentCareers #The20MinuteCareer #FutureOfWork

  2. Oct 13

    What Does an Occupational Therapist Do? A Paediatric OT Career Explained

    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 OT 0:38 - What is occupational therapy? 1:25 - Knowing she wanted OT since Year 10 2:34 - The OT degree and placements 3:31 - A day in the life of a paediatric OT 4:19 - Fine motor skills and therapy through play 5:14 - What's hard about the job 6:40 - How the job affects life outside work 7:21 - Hospital vs private practice 8:29 - How Brooke uses AI in her work 10:34 - What inspires her to turn up 11:17 - Career lessons, a mistake, and the skills that matter 14:05 - The future of OT About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #OccupationalTherapy #OT #PaediatricOT #HealthcareCareers #CareerAdvice #CareerGuidance #AlliedHealth #NDIS #FutureOfWork #Australia #the20minutecareer

  3. Oct 6

    A Career in Commercial Property Sales. What It's Actually Like to Sell $100M+ Skyscrapers

    "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 all 0:37 - Did you always want to work in property? 2:11 - A day in commercial property sales 3:41 - Why relationships are everything 4:07 - The hardest parts of the job 5:50 - How AI is changing commercial property 8:12 - The real cost: no off switch 10:28 - What keeps Tim in the industry 14:09 - The mistake that taught him the most 15:27 - Skills that matter in property 16:02 - Where the industry is heading: build-to-rent About 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/the20minutecareer Follow us on Instagram and TikTok @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #PropertyCareers #CommercialRealEstate #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #SalesCareers #RealEstateAustralia #CareerGuidance #FutureOfWork #Australia

  4. Sep 29

    How to Get Into a Career in AI Safety Research and What Do They Do?

    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 people 0:46 - What is AI safety? 2:57 - Angelica's path into the field 4:40 - Building a career around a full-time job 6:16 - How do you test if an AI's judgment is real? 8:35 - The hardest part: isolation and no established roles 11:12 - What Angelica loves about AI safety 13:26 - Why the field is short of people 14:55 - The mistake that taught her the most 15:31 - The skills that matter About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #AISafety #AICareers #TechCareers #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #DataScience #CareerGuidance #AIResearch #FutureOfWork #Australia

  5. Sep 22

    How to Build a Career in Dance - From Passion to Profession | Kellie Singh TCDA

    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 dance 0:38 - Kellie's early passion for dance 1:11 - Growing up in Inverell, and dance in the 80s and 90s 2:26 - Buying her first studio 2:52 - Choosing teaching over performing 4:39 - Relocating to Tamworth and starting TCDA 7:06 - The real cost: family, marriage, and building a business 10:33 - "Who gets to do that": passion and gratitude 11:12 - Why strengths-based thinking matters alongside ATARs 12:13 - Building a community, not just a studio 14:18 - Final five: fast questions 19:36 - Advice to her twenty-year-old self About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #DanceCareer #CreativeCareers #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #TCDA #CareerGuidance #PassionToProfession #NonLinearCareer #DanceTeacher

  6. Sep 15

    What Does a Data Scientist Actually Do? It's Not just Maths and Data

    Ask most people what they think it's like to be a data scientist and you'll get the same picture: equations, spreadsheets, someone quietly crunching numbers in a room by themselves. Nadya DeBeers has spent her career finding out that's only half true, and in this episode of The 20 Minute Career, she tells Jane Butler what the job actually involves, and why the real skill has almost nothing to do with maths. If you're a student curious about data science or wondering what a career in tech could actually look like, this conversation gives you the unfiltered version. In this video, I cover: ✅ The misconception that data science is all about maths, and what the job really demands. ✅ What a day in the life of a data scientist at a startup actually looks like. ✅ Nadya's non-linear path in, from studying maths to teaching to sales, and how one piece of paper changed everything. ✅ How machine learning actually works, explained through predicting if a house is about to sell. ✅ The pressure of startup pace, "urgent" requests, and managing up to a CEO. ✅ How AI has changed her day-to-day, and the very real burnout that comes with it. ✅ The mental cost of deep analytical work, and what "derobotting" means. ✅ What Nadya would tell her twenty-year-old self. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 - What people get wrong about data science 0:38 - Is data science really just maths? 1:30 - A day in the life of a data scientist 3:18 - Nadya's non-linear path into the field 5:24 - Machine learning explained: predicting if a house will sell 7:39 - The pressure of startup pace and managing stakeholders 9:27 - AI, Claude, and the burnout nobody talks about 13:09 - The mental cost: "derobotting" after deep work 14:19 - What Nadya actually loves about the job 19:43 - Advice to her twenty-year-old self About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #DataScience #TechCareers #The20MinuteCareer #CareerAdvice #MachineLearning #DataScientist #CareerGuidance #TechJobs #NonLinearCareer #AIcareers

  7. Sep 8

    Not a Pilot. Not an Engineer. This Psychologist Keeps Flights Safe

    Every single day, Philippe Kilpatrick wakes up hoping he doesn't turn on the news to a major aviation incident. His job is to reduce the risk of that happening, and make sure the system can catch it if it still does. In this episode of The 20 Minute Career, Jane Butler sits down with Philippe, a Human Factors specialist in aviation, to discuss a field almost nobody has heard of the intersection of psychology and engineering that shapes how humans and technology work together in the highest-stakes industries on earth, from air traffic control towers to submarine control rooms. If you are a student curious about psychology careers beyond therapy, or fascinated by how AI is starting to reshape aviation, this conversation provides the real-world insights you won't find in a textbook. In this video, I cover: ✅ What human factors actually is, and how it sits at the intersection of psychology and engineering. ✅ How years working as a forklift driver led Philippe to a career studying astronauts and air traffic controllers. ✅ What a day in the life of a human factors specialist in aviation actually looks like. ✅ Why controllers consistently outperform computers at deriving solutions, and what that means for AI in aviation. ✅ The psychological weight of working in aviation safety, and the "constant unease" that comes with it. ✅ The real cost of the role: moving across the country and long, unpredictable hours. ✅ Why being "principled but pragmatic" is the most important skill he's learned. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 - The psychologist who doesn't do therapy 1:56 - From forklift driver to human factors specialist 5:41 - A day in the life of a human factors specialist 7:54 - How AI is changing aviation, and why humans still outperform computers 9:41 - The psychological weight of working in aviation safety 12:18 - The real cost: moving across the country and long hours 15:12 - The upside: flying in cockpits and meeting people behind the scenes About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #HumanFactors #Psychology #CareerAdvice #The20MinuteCareer #AviationCareers #WhatIsHumanFactors #CareerPodcast #DayInTheLife #job

  8. Sep 1

    A Career in Risk Management. What Does a Risk Manager Actually Do?

    She's an introvert by nature. Her job is constant conflict, debate, and delivering updates to boardrooms on risks and issues. Discover the honest reality of risk management in this episode of The 20 Minute Career. Jane Butler sits down with Edwina Berry, a risk management leader in financial services, to discuss the unfiltered truth about a career built on asking the questions nobody wants to hear. Nicknamed the "fun police" and the "doomsayer" along the way, Edwina fell into risk management by accident after studying sociology and human resources and now spends her days stopping expensive mistakes before they happen. If you are a student exploring careers in financial services or curious what actually goes on behind the headlines about corporate scandals, this conversation provides the real-world insights you won't find in a textbook. In this video, I cover: ✅ What risk management actually is, and the three "lines of defence" in financial services. ✅ How Edwina fell into risk management by accident after studying sociology and HR. ✅ The difference between financial risk and non-financial risk. ✅ Why AI's default is to flag everything as high risk, and why that's a problem. ✅ Being called the "fun police" and the "doomsayer" — and what that really means. ✅ The real cost of the role: long hours in an industry that never sleeps. ✅ The unexpected places the job has taken her, including human rights and modern slavery. Chapter Timestamps: 0:00 - The introvert who has to debate for a living 0:58 - What risk management actually is 2:43 - How she fell into risk management from sociology and HR 6:23 - What third-party risk actually involves 7:15 - How AI is changing risk management 10:14 - Being called the "fun police" and the "doomsayer" 11:55 - The real cost of the role 13:03 - What she really enjoys about risk management About 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 @the20minutecareer The 20 Minute Career — Real People, Real Jobs, Honest Conversations. #RiskManagement #CareerAdvice #The20MinuteCareer #FinancialServices #CareerPodcast #WhatIsRiskManagement #CorporateCareers #DayInTheLife #jobs #risk

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About

Have you ever said "I wish someone had told me what the job was actually like" or "I wish I knew that job existed" If you have or you're trying to avoid thinking it in five years from now this show is for you. The 20 Minute Career gives students, graduates and real professionals the honest conversations about jobs and careers that nobody else is having. Twenty minutes. One real professional. Zero filter. Every episode covers the Path, Pressure, Price and Payoff of careers across every industry. Real people. Real jobs. Honest conversations. Follow now. www.the20minutecareer.com

Information

  • Creator
    Jane Butler
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jane Butler
  • Show Website
    The 20 Minute Career