Overrated Career: Advertising Executive

Advertising as a career is a joke...

Bad ecomomy? Write your own pink slip. Lose a client? Write your own pink slip. Whiney, hard-to-please clients. Constant carping and back-stabbing between agency departments. Egotistical managers and higher-ups who get paid handsomely while paying their employees (who do the real work) next to nothing. I wasted 12 years in this profession and kept on trying to salvage that career for longer. I wish I had tried to become a teacher or firefighter after college (when I was in better physical shape)...then I wouldn't regret my career and would have some happiness and job stability instead of grinding away, trying to find another job in this JOKE of a (advertising) profession....

By the way, 30 year ad man up there is wrong. You can put your heart, blood, soul, sweat and tears into this profession and still come up with nothing.

fedupwithadvertising of NC @ Oct 02, 2009 16:34:25 PM

I don't know about you, but I'm having fun.

I've been in advertising 30 years, and I still enjoy it. Downsides, sure. Frustrations, you bet.

But I get to make stuff up, sometimes a client buys the cool idea, and I've spent my life surrounded by writers, designers, film directors, composers, photographers, web developers, actors - a pretty interesting bunch.

And some of the PSAs I've done have been credited with saving lives, so it's not all shallow and mercenary.

Seems to me that most of the people who don't get much out of a career in advertising are the ones who don't put much into it.

Rob Simpson of TN @ Sep 01, 2009 17:13:49 PM

Happy I Changed Professions

There are perks and pitfalls of being an AE. The environment is great, the after hours events are usually a blast, the business trips top notch... But, the main part of the job consists of long days that are spent sucking up to clients, begging the creatives to meet deadlines, and brown nosing the boss. I worked in advertising for 5 years and feel like I wasted those years of my life. Granted, I did have fun, but I feel I spent many hours accomplishing...well, nothing really. I switched careers to make a difference in the world and so happy that I did! Trust me, teaching does not belong on the "overrated careers" list. It is the most rewarding job a person could ever have.

Joy of NY @ Feb 08, 2009 01:16:34 AM

Advertising

The sleepless nights do go hand in hand with working in advertising. As a matter of fact, I am up while my family sleeps thinking about tomorrow. Even after 10 years there is still little to no stability in this industry...even for the most creative, sellers.

of @ Jan 28, 2009 23:10:51 PM

true true true

Jolian must be a lucky creative person, in a regional ad agency set up, you must sell sell sell, and true in pleasing the chairman to contribute to more billings, converting this to hopefully more bonuses for the office, also awarded to some officemates who work half as hard, if not, not at all (nepotism? ties with top mgmt.)

it all boils down to perception and attitude, but whats written above is true.

Life's like that, you roll with the punches, take in the good and the bad, and there are still good things which happen to any advertising exec.

With every downside, theres an upside

Still working with a global agency, rolling with the daily punches, taking in the good and the bad...

and yes, advertising is HARD WORK synonymous with sleepless nights.

Jun @ Jan 15, 2009 03:33:58 AM

Advertising is not about selling, its about communication.

of OR @ Jan 06, 2009 16:06:58 PM

Selling selling

Sales jobs are all the same. Doesn't matter what you are selling. In advertising you are selling selling.

Lawrence Tate of ND @ Dec 15, 2008 17:23:02 PM

Irresponsible Reporting

Obviously the person that wrote this has never worked a day at an advertising agency. Why would you even propose to compare it to fictional glamor on tv? Most careers are not as glamorous as they appear on television, DUH. Why would you distill down someone's hard work into an analogy about toilet paper, and if that was the objective of the campaign and the goals were met, what is the problem? Most creatives never deal with managing accounts. Advertising executive, is such an empty term as if there are no specialization of duties in an advertising agency. GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD!

Jolian of NY @ Dec 14, 2008 16:13:22 PM