Work Experience Kid

Anyone who has bought a house has an idea of what a Mortgage Broker does.

Hank Hong tells us what happens behind the scenes in the office, how to get started as a Broker, and, as always, we hopefully answer the question of "can I do this job?"

Hank is an award-winning Mortgage Broker and has consistently appeared in the Top 100 Brokers in Australia, and was ranked 8th in 2024. What does this mean though? We get to the bottom of this in the ep too. 

What's life like working in Cyber Security and should we be paying attention to those recruitment ads? It's a growing industry, but what kind or person should you be, and what are necessary skills?

James Newburrie is the guy you want on your team to keep your network secure, and to inspire you to get into this industry.

James also answers basic questions and helps us better understand processes and those annoying things IT departments make us do.

Heads up: This ep contains the C-bomb. It doesn't contain the E symbol because it's part of some valuable advice that children must hear. Whilst it's possible that you won't read this part until it's too late, consider it a warning!

Please leave a 5-star review if you like the pod + subscribe. Both are free ways to support the WEK Pod.

There are two reasons to listen to this episode.

Being able to review a car is just one skill that a Motoring Journalist needs to have, which is why Scott Newman selected it as the task for this Trial episode.

Whilst this ep has a focus on cars, you might find it helpful if you're passionate about other things, and follows on nicely from the Professional Fan episode with Kate Pattison.

Does Iain have a future writing about cars despite not really being interested in them? Take a listen to see how he went!

Scott Newman is a respected name within the automotive industry, having worked for some of the biggest motoring publications.

His reviews have influenced car sales across Australia by helping buys choose their next vehicle.

They say that if you're going to learn a new skill, you should learn from the best. So when it comes to becoming a motoring journalist, Iain has found the right man.

This chat is goes deeper than talking about cars. It's a great example of following your dream, making great connections, retaining a solid reputation, and personal evolution.

Fans have existed for as long as people did thinks others liked. Decades ago fans might only be able to show their appreciation by flashing the bass guitarist from the crowd. Times have changed and fans now also show their love on social media.

Kate Pattison is a Professional Fan. How can one become one? Patto set Iain the task to create a piece of fan content.

Kate Pattison AKA Patto is a Professional Fan who has found a way to turn her passion for pop culture into a job.

She was born in the right era because at no stage in history could a fan of a music artist make their own content and see it lead to a form of income.

What does a Professional Fan actually do? How can someone get into the industry? And is it only music and pop culture? It might be possible for you to turn that thing you love into a way to finance your life!

As part of the recruitment process, a pilot needs to sit an aptitude test (example link below). That's in addition to actually knowing how to fly a plane and have flying hours in the books.

Whilst Iain cannot fly a plane, Megan Butler set him the challenge to sit a test to see if he might be able to get into a commercial role if he could actually fly.

Hear the results, and the next steps in this episode!

Take a look at a practice aptitude test here: https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/qantas-pilots-tests-preparation

And remember to recommend the pod to others. Your support is appreciated.

Megan Butler loves to get paid to travel to international destinations. Who wouldn't love that?

Instead of trading a follower count for a free hotel room, and social posts for a croissant, Megan jumps in the cockpit and flies herself (and many others) overseas. What's that like?

How can one get into that same seat?

What does it take, starting from nothing to being in control of a Dreamliner?

And do you need a passport to do it?

Megan Butler is an international airline pilot. Hear her story and learn how to do it yourself in this episode!

In an attempt to become a Visual Design Unicorn, Bryan Riley set Iain the challenge to design a logo for the podcast. Think a little image to go with everything else that you see.

Does Iain have the fundamental skills to give graphic design a red hot crack in the real world?

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Bryan Riley has had a rather broad career in the visual design space - especially when you compare it to many others.

He's designed apps and websites, gotten stuck into UI, UX, and is now a motion designer at some fancy advertising agency.

Reckon you've got a good eye (and hand for a computer mouse)? Then take a listen to where you could go!

Every voiceover artist needs a voiceover demo. Seasoned voiceover guy Matt Dawson challenged Iain to make his own voiceover demo!

Being able to talk for a living seems cool! So let's uncover a little about what it's like to be a voiceover guy (or voiceover artist if we want to use the correct title) with Matt Dawson.

He's the voice for Transport NSW, Subway and many more - you've definitely heard Matt's voice before, even if you don't recognise it.

We'll hear how he got his start behind the mic, and as always he'll set the work experience kid a challenge, which will be published in the episode directly after this. Subscribe so you don't miss it!

In his interview, Taz Herman set the work experience kid a task to correct a test, then give the student feedback based on their results.

Sounds easy peasy, but is it? Turns out it's harder than you might think. Look, this is a description not a place to spoil the content, so you're going to have to listen to the ep to hear why it's harder than expected.

Does Iain have the skills to successfully complete two skills that are required every day?

Ever thought about going back to school... but as the teacher?

Taz Herman loves working as a maths teacher and could see himself teaching at his current school until he retires. That's a great sign!

He also helps us explore some of the less desirable elements of teaching.

Grab a seat at the front of the room for this wide-ranging and insightful conversation. Don't worry, nothing in this ep will appear in the test. (What test? There's a test?) The same cannot be said for the work experience kid.

After around 15 years in the advertising game, does Iain have the skills to advertise a car?

As we learned in the chat with automotive buyers/sellers advocate, Steve Melder, advertising a car is just one of the many skills required to be an advocate.

Take a listen to hear the results and to learn a little more about next steps.

You can pay someone to buy or sell a car on your behalf, which is kinda cool.

Steve Melder started out as a mechanic, but as you'll hear, his career evolved into something grease-adjacent.

In this ep, you'll hear what it's like to go out on your own, and go "all in" on something you've been passionate about for a while - in Steve's case: an automotive advocate.

This is a Diary Entry where I share my thoughts and learnings from the experience so far.

What's holding you back from doing that thing? For me, it was relying on others and someone else doing a similar thing. It delayed progress for months. Then I realised that I was holding myself back.

Dr. Katelyn Tadd set Iain the challenge to sit the med school entrance exam, known as the GAMSAT. Pass this 6 hour exam and you're on your way to med school. Fail and sit it again, or remain a civilian for the rest of your life. Or until you join the army.

It took Dr. Katelyn Tadd 15 years to become a Consultant Psychiatrist.

In this episode, Dr. Tadd shares a little about what it takes to get into university, to become an Intern, then a Junior Doctor, THEN a Specialist.

It's a massive commitment but very possible if you're committed. Being a smarty-pants is beneficial.

In his episode, Divikesh Naicker set the work experience kid the challenge to make a beef wellington - a test that would see if he has the ability to work in a restaurant.

Does Iain have what it takes?

Divi shares how he cooked up a career as a chef so far. Anyone can be a cook but can everyone become a chef? What's the difference? That question plus more are served up in this episode.

In the previous episode, Mandy put the work experience kid to the test, and improve production elements of the podcast.

The challenge: Make an intro for the guest episode, make an intro for the task episode, and make a trailer for the podcast. Success would be judge on its level of s*** hotness.

What do you reckon? Does Iain have what it takes to be a podcast editor?

Iain decided to start a podcast but with no idea how to make it happen. Mandy Turner is here to lend a hand whilst giving an overview of what it's like to work as a podcast editor.

Mandy has been editing podcasts for around 10 years, so everyone you know who are doing podcasts are LATE!

In Ep .5, radio broadcaster Ed Cowlishaw set Iain the challenge to conduct an interview to see if radio broadcasting (or, in this case, podcasting) is for him.
This episode isn't all about the work experience kid. You'll hear about Ed's 20+ year career, from pressing play + record on a cassette player, through to becoming a successful breakfast radio host on Triple M Gippsland. 
You'll learn a little about what you can do to start if the radio, podcast, or broadcasting industries are calling you.

This was supposed to be an interview with Ed Cowlishaw (Breakfast Radio Broadcaster, Triple M Gippsland) before Iain realised he didn't know what he was doing.

Take a listen to Ed's advice on what makes a good interview, and he sets Iain the challenge to go away, take on his advice, and come back to do the interview properly another time.

That's why Ep 1 is Ep .5, but you can't upload "not a first episode" so the numbering thing is more confusing than it needs to be.

Iain Duguid has been an audio commercial & content writer and producer for over 15 years. He's not too sure whether he wants to continue on that path or try something new... but where should he focus his attention?
The Work Experience Kid Podcast is unique. Iain speaks with everyday people who have become experts in their field. You'll hear  how they got to where they are now, what's next, and how someone starting out might actually start in that industry.