The Creative Career

Here’s something I’ve been meaning to write about for some time, in part because it’s something that I’ve dealt with personally.

I remember having a serious conversation with my friend, Kevin, the summer we both started PR internships in Chicago. We talked about the industry’s turnover rate (about 17.5% in the Midwest at the time—employees are often motivated to make the shift for larger salaries, a better fit in corporate culture or new locations), and we discussed our goals to break that mold and have a solid stay within a single agency.

Alas, while Kevin has maintained a successful career within the same agency that he interned with, I took a different route. I ended up moving to a new agency about a year into my career, and I recently left agency life altogether to start my own business with my fiancé and a good friend.

So who took the best route to career success?

I have no regrets about where I am today—I’m building a successful business with some of my closest friends, and I have had the chance to learn from incredibly brilliant colleagues and mentors who I still call my friends. But after the first move, I vowed to myself that the only thing that would motivate me to leave the agency was if I was going to work for myself. I actually don’t think consistent agency hopping is a good career choice, nor is it good for the companies you leave or the industry as a whole.

While it may lead to a short-term pay raise or change of scene, agency hopping has a number of downfalls:

1. Starting over is difficult. It takes time to build relationships and establish trust.
2. It’s not fair to colleagues. Agencies invest a lot of time getting employees up to speed on new projects and procedures, along with ongoing industry training. They also invest emotionally to build a successful team dynamic.
3. Leaving is emotionally difficult. It’s hard to tell a trusted team that you’re taking off. It can feel a bit like betrayal—going against the trust of the team, no matter how positive the intentions.
4. It could hurt in the long run. Agency hopping might be a good change in the short term, but a long resume of short-term jobs doesn’t read as very reliable.
5. The little stuff. Don’t forget about all of the little things that make a move difficult, from transferring 401Ks to selecting new health insurance.

Ultimately, I think there are only two reasons that make the change worth it.

1. You’re leaving agency life altogether to try something completely new (and hopefully long-term).
2. The idea of Monday morning makes you physically ill.

How do you feel about this issue? I’d love to hear your opinions.