Originally published on LinkedIn in July, 2023.
It’s not just you. Everyone, if not most folks, are looking for an escape route out of the ad game. At least the ones I’ve spoken with.
While angencies promote the glorification of our industry and the campaigns we create, they have failed to address the rampant mental health concerns, burnout, layoffs, and so much more. Check any anonymous forums, Reddit, fishbowl, Twitter accounts under pen names…read the receipts.
The more I talk to young talent, and hear the advice they recive from seasoned vets, the less they want to enter. Or rather break in on their terms.
Thoughts on how to cope with this new normal? Would love to hear from industry vets that have seen the shift in the industry from 90s to now, regarding timelines, budget cuts, media landscape, and more. Yet somehow still manage to make it work **cough cough golden handcuffs > career pivot**
All is not doom and gloom though, there’s tons of talent eager and hungry to capitalize on all the digital mediums to make breakthrough work. The bigger issue, how sustainable is the ad career long term when you’re pushing your 50s/60s and the industry is pushing you out. Ageism deserves a whole thread of analysis, but you get the point.
