At PIEFA, we often hear the same concern from teachers and careers advisors: “I know agriculture is important, but I don’t always know how to explain the range of careers or pathways available.”
The reality is that careers across agriculture, food and fibre are rarely linear – and that’s one of the industry’s greatest strengths. People enter the sector in many different ways, build skills over time, change direction, return to study, and often combine practical experience with business, technology, communication or creative roles.
A few weeks ago, we came across a Facebook post by Sam Fryer titled ‘What I’d Say to 17-Year-Old Me’. His reflections on early careers advice, self-doubt, and the long journey towards building a life and business in agriculture struck a chord with us – and with many others. For educators supporting students with subject selection, career conversations or post-school decisions, stories like Sam’s provide a practical way to broaden how agriculture is understood in the classroom.
Sam is the creator of the A Place to Call Home podcast and website, and today runs his own cattle business. His career has spanned on-property work, ag tech, finance, contracting, study later in life, and storytelling – a powerful example of how varied and rewarding agricultural pathways can be.
We invited Sam to share his thoughts with educators and students. Below is our conversation.
Looking back, what do you think teachers and careers advisors often misunderstand about careers in agriculture?
One of the biggest things that was missed when I was at school was just how diverse agriculture actually is.
A lot of the focus tends to be on working on a property with livestock. While that’s a huge and important part of the industry, it’s only one piece of a much bigger picture. Agriculture stretches across marketing, technology, media, logistics, finance and international trade.
You can be working on the ground with cattle, involved in ag tech, working in international meat marketing, or even building something like a podcast that tells agricultural stories in a different way.
If you look at something like the cattle industry alone, there are opportunities right along the chain — from livestock agents and on-property production, through backgrounding and feedlotting, all the way to selling beef into international markets. There are roles in sales, relationship-building and marketing at every step.
What I don’t think is communicated enough is that agriculture can take you anywhere. You can travel the world through this industry, or you can build a life working on a single property. There’s no one version of what an agricultural career has to look like, and that diversity is one of its biggest strengths.
Your career pathway has been varied. How can educators help students see this kind of pathway as valid and valuable?
When I was at school, my thinking was very simple. The goal was to come home, work on the family property, and that was it. I didn’t really understand the range of options available in agriculture.
It wasn’t until later — when things didn’t go to plan and I had to look off-farm — that my perspective started to change. I put my hand up for different programs, went back to study, and started exposing myself to other parts of the industry. That’s what really opened my eyes to how broad agriculture is.
Looking back now, every role I’ve had has contributed to where I am today. Working on properties gave me practical and technical grounding. Time around livestock marketing and sales helped me understand people and markets. Working in ag tech showed me how technology can be applied on-farm. Even the podcast has become a learning tool — every conversation adds to how I think about business, land and decision-making.
I think educators can really help by encouraging curiosity and keeping pathways open. Changing direction, trying different roles and continuing to learn aren’t signs of failure — they’re part of growth.
Most people don’t have just one career anymore. They build several over time. The skills you pick up don’t disappear; they stack. And often, that combination of skills is what sets you apart later on.
What types of roles or opportunities in agriculture are least understood by students at school?
I think a lot of roles outside the traditional picture of agriculture are still largely invisible to students.
I’ve spoken at schools recently, including Richmond State School, and one of the biggest surprises for students was learning that I run a podcast connected to agriculture — and that people listen to it from all over the world.
Once you explain it, it makes sense. It’s still agriculture. It’s about people, land, stories and industry — just delivered through a different medium. But students don’t naturally associate things like media or storytelling with agriculture unless they’re shown that connection.
The same applies to ag tech. When I worked in that space, there were people coding and building technology specifically for agricultural businesses. Most students wouldn’t think of coding or software development as an agricultural role, but it absolutely is.
There are also entire parts of the industry operating on a global scale that students rarely see — like the international meat trade. People build long, successful careers trading livestock and beef into overseas markets, yet very few students even know those roles exist.
Once students are exposed to the full range of opportunities, it can completely change how they view the industry.
You returned to study later in life. What does lifelong learning look like in practice within agriculture?
I’m a big believer in lifelong learning. I’ve been a heavy reader since I was young — something my mum encouraged — and that curiosity has stayed with me. I honestly believe the day you stop learning is the day you stop growing.
Agriculture has a way of reminding you how much you don’t know. Markets shift, technology evolves, seasons challenge you, and the people who cope best are the ones who stay open and adaptable.
For me, lifelong learning hasn’t just meant going back to university, although that was important. It’s also meant reading, listening, asking questions, learning from others, and being willing to step outside my comfort zone. A lot of learning in agriculture happens outside a classroom, through experience and conversation.
The biggest risk is getting stuck in a small box and never looking beyond it. Lifelong learning is about staying curious and continuing to evolve — and that mindset is just as important as any qualification.
Your podcast and personal journey highlight a strong connection between land, identity, family and community. How can educators help students reconcile big goals like owning land with the practical steps to get there?
It’s not an easy journey, especially for people without family backing in agriculture. Becoming a full-time primary producer takes time, hard work and often sacrifice — something I hear again and again through conversations on the podcast.
The people who eventually get there tend to start early, make practical decisions and are willing to sacrifice in the short term for a long-term goal. That might mean working extra hours, taking on off-farm work for stability, or delaying things others might prioritise. Over time, those decisions compound.
We also live in a world of instant gratification, and cost-of-living pressures make land ownership feel further out of reach. But from speaking to so many people, I know it is still possible.
Educators can help by being honest about the process and focusing on practical foundations — basic business skills, understanding cash flow, how agricultural businesses operate, and how people build wealth over time. These are the building blocks that sit underneath big dreams like land ownership.
At the end of the day, it comes down to one question: Is the end goal worth the sacrifice? If it is, the steps become clearer — even if they take longer than expected.
What would you say to a young person who is passionate about agriculture but unsure how to start?
I’d say it’s always better to do something you’re passionate about than something you’re not.
Everyone has to do the hard yards at some point. I’ve done plenty of jobs I didn’t enjoy, but every one of them taught me something. What got me through was always having the bigger picture in mind.
If you’re passionate about agriculture, the first step is simply to start. You don’t need a perfect plan — you just need to have a crack.
When I started the podcast, it wasn’t polished. It began as a conversation over a beer with a mate. That small bit of validation was enough to take the next step. From there, you learn, adjust and build momentum.
The same applies in agriculture. Validation comes through doing — watching the numbers, learning from what works and what doesn’t, and being honest with yourself.
And don’t be afraid of failing, especially when you’re young. Failing isn’t the end of anything. You can always start again.
At the end of the day, life is a lot more enjoyable when you’re working on something you genuinely care about. If you stay open to learning and put yourself out there, it’s amazing how often the opportunities — and even the money — follow passion rather than the other way around.
Sam’s story is a powerful reminder that there is no single pathway into agriculture — and no “right” timeline. Careers across food and fibre are built through curiosity, experience, learning and often a willingness to change direction.
For educators and careers advisors, sharing stories like Sam’s can help students see agriculture not as a narrow option, but as a diverse, evolving industry with opportunities for many different strengths and interests. We encourage educators to share this story with students as a prompt for discussion about career pathways, subject choices and the many ways people build meaningful futures in agriculture.
You can explore more of Sam’s work here:
And if you’re looking for classroom-ready resources to support conversations about careers in agriculture, food and fibre, explore Primezone, PIEFA’s free, curriculum-aligned resource hub for Australian teachers and Career Harvest, PIEFA’s one-stop shop for students to discover career pathways, scholarships and opportunities in the primary industries sector.
