Career evaluation

So I work in account service in an advertising agency. That means I manage a client’s advertising activity, from planning the launch of a new product/service or certain seasonal sales or campaigns to general branding campaigns. It also includes organising advertising for ongoing things like Yellow Pages ads, emails to loyalty clubs, everyday newspaper ads, billboard ads, TV ads and the like.

I have really enjoyed what I do for the most part of the last two years. It’s fast paced and can be pretty stressful but I get a buzz out of planning out activity according to the behaviours of that company’s customers (or potential customers). Most of all the work I enjoy is the digital elements including website design, web banners, email marketing, SEM, SEO and all the strategy that goes with it.

Our agency had been outsourcing that work to a local web design company whom I would deal directly with to plan and then track the building of my clients’ work however our agency soon discovered this was a big growth area and we’ve been building our own digital department over the last few months.

I’ve been talking to management since the development of the digital department, trying to get in as a project manager or similar and there’s always been “plans for me.” A recent meeting last month I was told that it was very close and now they’re trying to decide whether I would be better as a project manager in the technical department (given my skills and knowledge in account service – I know what the client wants and what account service wants where as the techie guys in there at the moment really have no clue how to deliver the technology to the client…they only speak tech-speak) or whether I would be better in the strategy department (again given my skills in account service because I know how to communicate directly with the client and account service rather than having my head in the clouds). I think in the short term I would find technical/production easier to adapt to because my head is more geared for that kind of thing, however I think there is more of a future for me in strategy if I look at from a career progression perspective.

I was told that I could expect to move within the next six months. It gives me hope however I’ve been having meetings about it since October last year so I have to admit I’m a tad pessimistic about it! I think perhaps it’s easier to leave me in account service for the time being because our clients are always so busy.

I have pursued other options in project management also, however made a decision to stay in the advertising industry as I believe this is where my passion is. I didn’t want to take a step backwards into exclusive web design in order to become a project manager. I might have to stick it out a bit longer and then evaluate my options again.

Two quotes today from Girlgeeks.com:


"If you play it safe in life you've decided that you don't want to grow anymore."
—Shirley Hufstedler

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
—Thomas Edison