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:
- Starting over is difficult. It takes time to build relationships and establish trust.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- You’re leaving agency life altogether to try something completely new (and hopefully long-term).
- The idea of Monday morning makes you physically ill.
How do you feel about this issue? I’d love to hear your opinions.
Doug S.
This is exactly the advice I’ve been getting about selecting my first job.
My aunt (graphic designer/art director) said that whatever my first job is I should be prepared to stay there for at least two years and that if it was a company I wasn’t willing on working with for that long I might want to look elsewhere.
I think the most important thing is finding a company you’re comfortable with, both on a personal and professional level. If you are leaving for greener pastures I think it would be best to make sure that not only is the pay better, but you like the kind of work you’d be doing better and that the studio ecosystem is more to your liking.
In short: Only change jobs if the new job will make you happier. Besides, if there is something about your current job that does make you unhappy, you can always try talking to your boss. If you have a good job they’ll listen to you. If they won’t even listen then you know to leave.