Live & Learn: 5 Things I’ve Learned from Working in Advertising

Graduation season is upon us. This blog is dedicated to those looking to land their first real job in the exciting world of advertising.

I landed my first “big girl job” at a large corporation at age 24 working in the marketing department. I went through four years of schooling yet nothing prepared me for the world of advertising like the experience itself.  Here are 5 lessons I learned that you should learn now.

Warning- What you are about to read is the cold hard truth.

 1. Education is power.

If you think that just because you graduated you never have to take another class, read another book, or learn a new skill, you are mistaken. Things change quickly in this industry and if you don’t stay on top of these trends, you will be run over.

 2. Work hard play hard.

It’s easy to find yourself staying late, coming in early, or skipping lunch to finish the work you are accountable for. What I learned the hard way was this brings a quicker burn out rate and higher stress level. No matter how busy you are, remember to take the time to balance your personal life and squeeze in things you love.

3. When you work in marketing, everyone thinks they can do your job better than you can.

Everyone, and I do mean everyone, thinks they have a better way to say something, a more creative approach, or a better strategy than you. Remind yourself that you are educated, you keep up on the latest trends and you have experience to know what works and what doesn’t.

4. As my former manager used to tell me, “we aren’t saving babies.”

You need tough skin to work in this industry. Do not let every nasty email, bad result, spelling error, or missed email eat you alive. Shake it off and promise yourself to do better the next time.

5. When you feel like giving up, remember why you started.

Yes it’s a tough job at times, but it’s also a job that allows you to be creative, think outside of the box, stay on top of trends and challenge yourself daily. You don’t know what you are capable of until you are challenged.

 Congrats to all the grads and welcome to this crazy, exciting, challenging, and creative world of advertising.

 Written by: Kristy Roeser