The Algorithm Age

Taskrabbit CEO Ania Smith took a year off with her family in Argentina—not to escape, but to reset. The break helped her rethink the juggle between career and home, shift household roles, and set the stage for her next big executive moves. Whether it’s driven by burnout or the need to take a meaningful break with an increasingly longer career on the horizon, sabbaticals are experiencing a resurgence. And it’s not just Gen Z grads exploring the world before getting serious about their careers— leaders are joining in too. Take Ania Smith, the CEO of Taskrabbit, for example. She was seemingly at a career high, working as an executive at Airbnb , when she quit it all; she packed up her life and moved to Buenos Aires for a year in 2018 with her husband and three young children, to hit pause. Despite the stigma that often surrounds résumé gaps, Smith scored a promotion on her return–and has since seen her career go from strength to strength. And the 50-year-...

Let me be clear about something: the idea that you need to work 12-hour days to get ahead in your career is absolute bullsh*t. And I should know, because I spent the first few years of my career doing exactly that. I used to constantly talk about how "busy" I was, answering emails at 9pm, and genuinely believing that my worth as an employee was directly tied to how many hours my laptop was open. Then I realised being busy doesn't mean being productive. And being productive doesn't require sacrificing your entire life just to do your job. Years later, I'd still very much describe myself as an ambitious, career-driven person, but I also religiously clock off at 4pm on Fridays (don't tell my manager). I take my lunch breaks. I don't check emails after hours unless something is literally on fire (it never is). And in doing so, my career has never been in better shape. The secret isn't working more hours — it's working smarter. And that...

Sandy Yawn has worked in yachting for more than three decades. She says that as a woman, she had to work harder to prove herself in the industry. The Below Deck Mediterranean star shared advice with BI for other women in male-dominated fields. This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Sandy Yawn, a superyacht captain and star of 'Below Deck Mediterranean.' The following has been edited for length and clarity. When I started my yachting career more than 30 years ago, I'd never seen a woman captain. Women worked on ships, but they were few and far between in the world of yachts, and I'd never seen one at the helm. I fell into yachting, or maybe the job found me. When I started working maintenance on boats, I had no idea yachting could be a career. Decades later, I'm a superyacht captain. I want to create opportunities for other women to get into this industry. For a long time, I didn't have any fema...

Christy Rutherford left a successful Coast Guard career due to toxic leadership and burnout. She faced deeper burnout, financial loss, and depression after resigning from her position. Rutherford rebuilt her life and now helps other leaders recover from burnout and achieve success. I started my career in the US Coast Guard as a college sophomore in 1996. After graduating, I was stationed on a ship in Charleston, South Carolina, chasing drug runners in the Caribbean. I transitioned into crisis management and moved four times over the next 12 years. I responded to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and worked on Capitol Hill as a congressional fellow for the late Congressman Elijah Cummings in 2007. I loved my career and learned from some exceptional leaders. I also had the misfortune of surviving a few toxic ones. I was one of 50 Black women officers out of nearly 50,000, and I felt my competence was questioned regularly. I worked 80 hours weekly to prove myself....

Real estate agent trained over the course of weeks Now he earns almost $300,000-a-year READ MORE: Why Aussies have erupted at a pair of glamorous real estate agents A young real estate agent is pulling in $300,000 in his second year — and he only needed a three-day course to begin. Ethan Forbes, who is based in Baringa on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland , was stopped while on the beach and asked how much he makes in his role. He said he 'accidentally fell' into real estate, joking that it was for the 'wrong reasons'. 'I had a mate who was in it. He had the watch, the car, and I was like, I just want to be like that,' he said. Mr Forbes, who works for LJ Hooker's branch in Caloundra, said he took home $130,000 in his first year as an agent. '[I earned] $291,000 in GIC [Gross Commission Income] so probably took home $130,000, but that was working six to seven days a week, 12-hour days, with no holi...

Helen Gander, 40, has been a train driver since 2008. She is one of a growing number of women working in the rail industry and has dedicated much of her time to advocating for more women and neurodiverse people to join the industry. Here she talks about why it’s a dream job for her I moved to London from Warrington, Cheshire, when I was 18 with no job and no real plan except for hanging out with friends and being with a girl I’d met. I had to find something to keep myself afloat, so I applied to do whatever was available: telesales, telemarketing, railways – anything. Thameslink was the first company that gave me an interview and, eventually, a job at St Alban’s station as a train dispatcher. I was the one standing on the platform, blowing the whistle – I loved it. I worked with a great bunch of people. It was a great job and I’ve never looked back. I then became a shunter, which involves helping to move trains in and out of depots, and becoming a train driver after...

Accountants among jobs to be in high demand Demand to remain despite rapid AI progression READ MORE: The occupations AI is set to replace soon White collar jobs typically paying six-figures salaries are expected to be in short supply by 2030 despite quantum advances in artificial intelligence. The Future Skills Organisation predicted accountants, financial advisers, IT managers, chief executives and bank workers would have the biggest skills gap within five years, even though AI promises to do many thought-based, analytical tasks. These jobs have average taxable incomes in the six figures, or at least close to it, and are expected to be in even more demand despite rapid technological advances with large language models. 'Australia faces a projected shortfall of almost 250,000 skilled workers across finance, technology, and business by 2030,' the Future Skills Organisation said in its Workforce Plan 2025. ...

They say there's no going back, but 12 years after leaving teaching I am standing in front of classes of boisterous students again. It's not exactly the plot twist I saw coming. it was a big career change, again! For the past 10 years, I have been fully immersed in digital content creation, developing recipes, running my own business and building an online audience. I had the creative freedom to pour myself into projects with endless flexibility, and felt a real sense of connection when my work resonated with people. Some days this work felt like a dream and I guess that would be the general perception from the outside, too. How I knew it was time for a change Running your own business isn't as pretty as people make out. All the creative stuff was fun and easy. What came with it, though, was uncertainty. It's stressful being your own boss. You're your own employee, HR team, finance department and tech support (after al...

Do you have a work dilemma, career quandary, or are facing challenges in the office? The i Paper ’s work column answers readers’ questions with leading experts in careers and workplace psychology. Email questions to work@ The company I work for is notorious in my industry for many reasons. It’s fast-paced with lots of opportunities to learn and swift career acceleration, but it’s also known for being quite a toxic environment or an ‘old boys club’ as some people have put it. I knew this when I started, but I wanted to take on the challenge, and everyone who has stuck it out at this company has been able to pretty much go on and work anywhere. One of the senior members of my team is basically a bully – incredibly rude, swears a lot and is demeaning and intimidating. Every time I have flagged it, other members of staff have told me he just has “brash leadership style” and is “old school” and I just need to get used to it because I...

Do you have a work dilemma, career quandary, or are facing challenges in the office? The i Paper ’s work column answers readers’ questions with leading experts in careers and workplace psychology. Email questions to work@ The company I work for is notorious in my industry for many reasons. It’s fast-paced with lots of opportunities to learn and swift career acceleration, but it’s also known for being quite a toxic environment or an ‘old boys club’ as some people have put it. I knew this when I started, but I wanted to take on the challenge, and everyone who has stuck it out at this company has been able to pretty much go on and work anywhere. One of the senior members of my team is basically a bully – incredibly rude, swears a lot and is demeaning and intimidating. Every time I have flagged it, other members of staff have told me he just has “brash leadership style” and is “old school” and I just need to get used to it because I...

The number of new entry-level jobs has fallen by nearly a third since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, it was reported last night. Openings for apprenticeships, graduate roles, internships and junior roles with no requirement for a degree fell by 31.9 per cent, according to The Times . Research by jobs search website Adzuna found that entry-level vacancies only make up a quarter of the overall jobs market, which is down by nearly 4 per cent since 2022. It comes as more companies outline their plans to use AI to reduce their headcount. BT said in May 2023 that 10,000 jobs would be replaced by artificial intelligence by the end of the decade. The roles impacted include call handling and network diagnostics. Its chief executive Allison Kirkby has claimed that advances in AI could result in even more job cuts at the company. Dario Amodei, head of $61billion AI start-up Anthropic, last month warned that the technology could cut half of all entry-level white-c...

At 15, Simon Squibb’s dad died suddenly, leaving him homeless , out of school and unable to find work. Then, he had a brainwave that turned his life around . ‘I was so desperate to get out of this situation I was in,’ he tells . ‘I walked past a big house that had a really messy garden, and thought maybe they’d pay me to tidy it a bit. So I knocked on the door saying I had a gardening company (which I didn’t) and amazingly, the guy who answered was like “alright, how much?”. ‘I just picked a number out of thin air – £200 pounds a month. Then he shook my hand and that was my first ever deal. Suddenly I was a gardener with a gardening contract.’ Fast forward three decades and that same entrepreneurial mindset has made him a millionaire , with 19 companies under his belt alongside a bestselling book, What’s Your Dream? You may know Simon from social media , where his brand of gonzo-style angel investing has earned him an army of loyal fans (who he calls d...

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that over half (52%) of workers worry about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their future work. Lower-income workers worry more than other income groups about AI displacement. Some careers are more AI-resilient than others however. A study by Resume Now identified these careers as AI-resistant — and they pay over $50,000 with just a high school diploma . Discover Next: Here’s How To Use AI To Quickly Start a Side Gig, According to Codie Sanchez For You: 4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025 Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists Median pay : $71,420 These workers assess fire hazards, put prevention strategies in place and investigate the cause of wildfires. “This work relies on on-the-ground expertise and split-second decision-making,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at...

A survey by the Pew Research Center found that over half (52%) of workers worry about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on their future work. Lower-income workers worry more than other income groups about AI displacement. Some careers are more AI-resilient than others however. A study by Resume Now identified these careers as AI-resistant — and they pay over $50,000 with just a high school diploma . Discover Next: Here’s How To Use AI To Quickly Start a Side Gig, According to Codie Sanchez For You: 4 Low-Risk Ways To Build Your Savings in 2025 Earning passive income doesn't need to be difficult. You can start this week. Forest Fire Inspectors and Prevention Specialists Median pay : $71,420 These workers assess fire hazards, put prevention strategies in place and investigate the cause of wildfires. “This work relies on on-the-ground expertise and split-second decision-making,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at...

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has unveiled the highest-paying jobs in the country, providing key insights into the income distribution across various professions. According to tax return data for the 2022-2023 financial year, medical professionals dominate the list, with surgeons and anaesthetists leading the way. However, financial dealers and CEOs are also among the highest earners, reflecting the diversity in Australia’s top professions. This data highlights the increasing earning potential for individuals working in specialized roles, particularly in the medical and financial sectors. For those interested in career development, understanding which sectors offer the highest salaries can provide valuable guidance in choosing future career paths. Surgeons and Anaesthetists: Leading the Pack Surgeons are the highest earners in Australia, with an average annual salary of $472,475 for the 2022-2023 financial year. This figure represents more than six...

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has unveiled the highest-paying jobs in the country, providing key insights into the income distribution across various professions. According to tax return data for the 2022-2023 financial year, medical professionals dominate the list, with surgeons and anaesthetists leading the way. However, financial dealers and CEOs are also among the highest earners, reflecting the diversity in Australia’s top professions. This data highlights the increasing earning potential for individuals working in specialized roles, particularly in the medical and financial sectors. For those interested in career development, understanding which sectors offer the highest salaries can provide valuable guidance in choosing future career paths. Surgeons and Anaesthetists: Leading the Pack Surgeons are the highest earners in Australia, with an average annual salary of $472,475 for the 2022-2023 financial year. This figure represents more than six...