Who am I kidding? Sleep? My body doesn't want to, and hanging myself... I don't have enough rope. Shit. Oh well...
We had an interesting comment in one of our posts recently (Hi Ero and Lucy!) about being scared of leaving an ad agency. I feel your pain. Let's help a "sista" out, shall we?
Leaving an ad agency is difficult. Most of all, when you have been there for a long time. It is totally normal that you get accustomed to your surroundings, your co workers, even your boss. It's like a marriage, I swear. Divorce can sometimes be impossible to think of - and most people don't realize how easy it really is, when you are determined to JUST BEING HAPPY.
Back to my point... You feel that it's better to stay with someone who knows you but makes your life miserable than just leaving and giving yourself the opportunity of being truly happy somewhere else. Then, you probably might think that your wife or husband has no possibility of making it on their own - in this case, you might think that you are needed at your ad agency.
Not so.
Fact. Many people can do what you do at the ad agency. Fact. If you are feeling stuck, you will forever feel this way. Only this can change if your boss makes you part of the process. Fact. We all have two legs, two hands and a bag. If some people can pack up and leave, you can do it too. Fact. By switching jobs you WILL make more money. Fact. All ad agencies suck, you just have to play the game and find what works for you.
I recommend the following: go out on interviews. Get your name out there. Resumes usually don't work. Talking to people worked for me, at least. Screw it if you are afraid that your boss finds out - it means business. It means that you are not happy. Again, like a marriage. Leave, or tell them that you are leaving. If they truly want you, they will not let you go. (Well sometimes wives or husbands are such psychos that they won't let you leave, but that is another story, for another totally different blog)
Going out on interviews lets you see, right there and then, that some people are interested in what you do. You get a fresh opinion on what you really mean and do. If they want you, if they want you on their team, it means that you are doing something right. It is also an ego booster. You feel like a new person. Also, you can compare with the truth right in your face: where you work there is no possibility of learning more or having much exposure. At this other agency, there might be a chance that they get you more involved. Good!
Worried that your portfolio sucks? Have you seen other people's ads? Most of them suck! We ALL have pieces in our book that we are ashamed of! Doesn't mean that you don't have a body of work! Just show what you can do. If they don't like it, screw them. There are millions of ad agencies out there. You have a good chance of hitting the lotto.
Worried that you will move to an ever shittier ad agency? That you will be working even more late? Hm. This one you can smell out. Talk to your friends. Talk to other people in other agencies. Get the real info. You'll be surprised of how much dirty crap you can dig out. This helps when looking for a new job.
Gordon Gekko was right. Greed is good. Greed works. You are human. As a person, you will want to grow, to do more. To earn more! If you are responsible, hard working, there is a job for you out there.
Here ended the lesson.
5 comments:
Valrare Nanni! That's thank you so much in my tongue. :)
Me!!!! Thanks!! I promise I'll write about my sucky bosses soon. I owe you that. G, a friend and co worker yelled from her computer "did you read WAS??? they mention you!!!" Time to get out of this cave.
Leaving is the only way to grow, both as a professional and as a person. Each year that goes by is another year that gets you deeper in the rut, and another year of missed opportunities. There really is nothing to loose and everything to gain... besides, your friends will always be there, and sometimes, when you leave the agency, those friends become even better friends - so that should be the least of your problems.
If you don't take matters into your own hands, you'll end up being a "rookie" for the next 15 years of your professional life.
Very inspirational words to be sure. And it's heartening to see good people get ahead in this crappy business.
But there's a reason why some poor schmucks (i.e., me) are condemned to work at agencies where we are bitter and miserable -- namely, we don't have the opportunity to produce the kind of creative that would enable us to get a better, more lucrative job elsewhere.
It is a Catch-22 of insidious, epic proportions: You can't do good work until you get into a good agency -- but you can't get into a good agency until you do good work.
I've been in this deeply dopey business for more years than I care to admit -- either to you or myself. Yet there is not a single produced piece of work in my portfolio. There are a number of reasons why, but they are irrelevant to the discussion at hand. The point is, no one would seriously consider me for a position -- and why should they? So, in effect, my career is, for all intents and purposes, over.
I wonder if it's too late to become a free-range chinchilla farmer?
Hey, I really admire how you put your thoughts on this. But go ahead and recommend this link to those who got problems with work, bosses, unemployment, confidence, spirit, leadership etc. Man, you wont believe this package is too full to be true, well this one look could change anyones life like it did mine, ready?
http://BEsenov1.successuniversity.com/
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