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Unless you reaaaaally want in, it's an industry to avoid at the minute and most likely for the foreseeable future. A regular career won't lead to riches. A regular career won't even allow most fun than not.
By riches I mean riches, not comfortable. Rich was a CD/ECD 20 years ago. Now even most of them are one layoffs away from struggling. If you have to cut your lifestyle you're definitely not ahead, you're just financially responsible.
Unfortunately, writing doesn't command a lot of respect, and AI is making it worse. Learn to code.
Coding is on its way out too, thanks to AI. Just google “vibe coding.”
Better you learn this now. Working hard is not ALL you have to do to be successful in advertising. It's probably less than 50% even. But if you don't work hard there's a much greater chance you're never successful. It's not fair, but them's the brakes.
If you want to be a copywriter, be a copywriter. You can be one anywhere in the country. However, you’re going to make the most money for doing it in somewhere like NYC and LA.
So, if you want to move to the Big Apple to do that, do it. Your finances will figure themselves out. You wouldn’t be the first broke person to move to this city and still make it. (See my life story as exhibit A.)
Lastly, if you want to buy a house, buy a house. You can move to this city. Work your way up. Make decent money. Save that money. Then, move to a more affordable market to buy said house. (Or, somewhere deep in Jersey.) However, you might be leaving behind the career that you like to do so. As there aren’t as many high-caliber shops outside of the major metros.
Basically, you have options and you don’t have to sacrifice anything at this point in your career to get them. Gain the experience. Then, figure the rest out as you go.
I tell almost every junior or mid level creative that works under me that hasn't lived/worked in NYC that they should. Tremendous life experience.
Obvs dunno you or your details but I wouldn't overthink the inflation thing - unless you got Russian oligarch money you're gonna feel poor there no matter what, and depending on where you're at in life that's totally ok. Rack up some good book pieces and a few new bullet points on your resume and you can always parlay that to jobs elsewhere in places with a lower cost of living.
If you want to write, write. There are lots of great shops in smaller markets. They might not pay as much as NYC, but the cost of living difference easily makes up for that. And a lot of those smaller shops have better work-life-balance and more supportive culture, which is important. Plus, as a junior, you can get your hands on more projects at a small place.
Also, it's important to take a look at how you are defining success. It's different for everyone. Is success for you winning awards? Is it getting your ideas made? Is it enjoying your job? Is it just making enough money to be comfortable and buy a house in a community you like? Compare your success to your own goals. Not to others that may have different goals and may be sacrificing other things to achieve what looks like success from the outside. Also, your career will move at a different pace at different times. There will be times where you are achieving a lot quickly, and there will be times that are slower. Sometimes your friends will be at a fast time when you're at a slow time, and vice versa.
Ultimately though, there are lots of different ways to have a career in advertising. NYC is just one path.
When ever I make ends meet, the move the ends…
It’s a dead shit job for the most part. Full of narcissistic untalented people all trying to climb a greasy pole in an industry that’s shrinking and becoming increasingly irrelevant. If you can, go client side, it ain’t perfect but you may have better job security.