Welcome back to Get an Unreal Job. You’re listening to Get an Un‑Real Job — I’m Erica — and today’s episode kicks off with a brilliant young guest: Isla. She’s in Year Eight, a huge fan of music and English, and right now she’s devouring the Divergent series because she’s been into dystopian reads like The Hunger Games. Isla isn’t just a music lover — she’s a performer. She’s been in school shows and community theatre (We Will Rock You, The Sound of Music, and a musical‑hits show with her sister), sings in harmony with a family that leads worship at church, and dreams of being on the West End or Broadway. Her big, bold goal? To play Eliza in Hamilton. On today’s episode we’ll hear about how singing and theatre make her feel, what it’s been like to be onstage so far, and the question she most wants answered: what’s it really like behind the scenes — what are rehearsals actually like when you’re preparing for a big show? Stay with us — later I’ll be talking to someone who’s been on those big stages and can answer Isla’s burning question, give a peek backstage, and maybe inspire you to chase your own un‑real job. Let’s go. Music by Bensound

Welcome to Get an Un-real Job — I’m Erica. Today’s guest is Jimmy. He’s 13, in Year 7, and lives in Moruya on the South Coast. He told me his favourite subject this year is humanities (HUMS) because he’s got a great teacher — Mrs Drewsen — and he’s a bit of a country kid at heart. When I asked Jimmy what he wants to be, he picked “butcher” — mostly because he saw it on my survey as an example and thought, “That’s a good  job.” But that’s only part of the story. Jimmy rides horses, loves being outdoors and works with cattle. His real passion is camp drafting: you ride into a small yard with a mob of cattle, pick one out, cut it away and turn it up the sides of the camp, then take the cow through a set course of pegs and a gate. Riders get scored for the cut, the course and their horsemanship — a perfect 100 is rare, but top scores in the 90s win the day. All of that fits with Jimmy’s bigger dream — to be a cattle station manager. He imagines a life riding, rounding up stock, maybe doing some butchering, and living on the land. He knows it would be a lifestyle as much as a job: long hours, night work, and being on call for calves and emergencies. But for him, the freedom and being outdoors make it worth it. Before we go, Jimmy asked one question he really wants answered: how long does it take to drive from one side of a station to the other? We’re going to find out — we’re headed to meet someone who manages a cattle station and get the real story. Let’s go. Music by Bensound

Welcome back to Get an Un‑Real Job — I’m Erica. This podcast is all about dreaming big and finding the pathways to the jobs you love. Today we meet Maddie, a Year 7 student from Carrol College who lives in a very busy house with three dogs and two cats. Her backyard might be tiny, but she’s full of big ideas: her “real” dream job is to be an architect — she loves drawing and designing — and her ultimate unreal job? Playing NRL for the Sharks. Maddie plays footy, loves tackling, and even picked the Sharks during a footy tipping competition — now they’re her team for life (sorry, Raiders fans). Before we speak to someone who actually makes a career out of rugby league, Maddie asked the question we’ll put to our guest: “What inspired you to become an NRL player?” Stick around — we’ll hear from someone who’s been through the pathway Maddie wants, learn how you get started, and then come back to see what Maddie thinks after hearing their story. Whether your dream is designing houses or scoring tries, this episode will give you ideas and inspiration to chase an un‑real job. Let’s go. Music by Bensound

Welcome to Get An Un-Real Job — I’m Erica. This is the show where we sit down with students chasing their dream, the jobs they’d do if nothing held them back. Today I’m with Jude. Hey Jude — thanks for being here. Jude’s 18, originally from Wagga, moved up here in 2023 and is now in Batemans Bay. By day he works at Sombreros, and in every spare minute he’s making music — writing, rapping and performing. He didn’t fill in our survey, which is totally fine, but when I asked him what his everyday job would be if he could choose, he didn’t hesitate: “Just making music.” Jude’s unreal job is to be an artist people can really relate to — someone whose lyrics help others name and feel their emotions. He wants his songs to put people at ease, to let them know they’re not alone. That’s his mission. He’s already taking steps to get there. Jude visited JMC Creative Arts on a school trip and it stuck with him. He’s applying — there’s an audition element where you submit evidence of your abilities; he’s sent in two original songs. His music sits in rap but aims to “touch the soul” — not just hit hard, but hit in a way that’s accessible and meaningful. Jude’s a real performer — he’s played at our school a few times and every time the crowd goes wild. For him, performing feels great: sharing originals, hearing people say the lyrics meant something to them, knowing his music might lift someone up on a tough day. Later on we’ll ask an industry pro what the hardest parts of the music world are — but for now, let’s hear from Jude about his songs, his process, and how he’s trying to turn that unreal job into reality. Music by Bensound

Welcome to Get an Un‑Real Job — I’m Erica. Today we’re talking to Beau, a Year 12 student at Carroll College who’s already turning his VET training into real momentum. Beau’s finishing his Cert II in Hospitality and has just been named the NSW Training Awards VET Student of the Year for the Illawarra and South Coast. He even made it to the state interviews in Sydney — not a finalist this year, but definitely someone to watch. Beau tells us what the judges look for: authenticity, passion, and the way you apply VET skills in life, not just to chase units or an ATAR. Next year he’s aiming for a traineeship at school to earn his Cert III in Hospitality, and by 2027 he plans to start an electrical apprenticeship. Sounds like an odd combo? Not for Beau — he sees the fast‑paced, high‑pressure flow of commercial electrical work as the perfect match for the pace of a busy restaurant. His dream? To open a rustic, classic restaurant and pub — warm, heritage‑style, and homey. Inspired by local spots like the old Vulcan Cafe and the Albion in Braidwood, Beau wants to build a place he can run and help maintain himself. One question he’d ask a restaurateur who’d taken their pub overseas: how do you keep that authentic Australian country feel? Stick around — we’ll dig into Beau’s journey, his skills, and what it takes to chase a dream that’s a little un‑real. Let’s get into it.

Episode 1 – Introduction In this first episode of Get an Unreal Job, I sit down with Elsie, a Year 9 student at Carroll College. Elsie recently performed in the school’s production of We Will Rock You and is already thinking about her future career. For her “real job,” she sees herself as a primary school teacher because of her love of working with young children and her experience in youth ministry. But when it came to choosing an “unreal job,” Elsie had a very different idea. She dreams of being an influencer — not in the traditional sense of selling products or promoting luxury lifestyles, but as someone who uses a public platform to create positive change, especially for women, education, and how people see the world. Elsie’s vision is to be authentic, relatable, and a role model who inspires others to become better people. In our conversation, Elsie shares her hopes, her uncertainties, and the big questions she’d love to ask someone who already lives in that world: How do you even get there? What is it really like to hold a high-profile role? And how do you stay true to yourself while dealing with public pressure and criticism? This episode sets the stage for exploring those questions with someone who has made that leap, and later we’ll return to Elsie to see what she takes away from their insights. Music by bensound.com