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Ad school can be useful for portfolio building and connections, but it’s not the only way to grow. You might also look at side projects, freelance work in different sectors, or finding a mentor who can push you into long-form, conceptual, or strategy-heavy assignments.
100% I took whatever job I could get out of college because I couldn’t afford ad school. Lots of interactive, banner, website stuff for no name companies. You truly never have a chance to shine on projects like that, not if you ever want to break into above the line work. A decade into it, I lived with people who went to ad school and got jobs directly at martin and droga, who wouldn’t even entertain an interview with me. Completely randomly, someone at WK saw the potential in some tweets I had. (They wouldn’t entertain an interview with me either) but I bypassed that and got a job. Long story short, I always think about where I’d be if I had gone to ad school. It might not make you a better writer, but it’s where companies go to recruit.
No to ad school. You already have a job in the industry.
Your first 2 years are typically like that if you’re not at a shop that’s going nuclear in growth/accounts. I recommend reaching out to your CD to get into projects where you’re uncomfortable and therefore can learn new skills.
No, if you can get in the door you should just be able to learn it on the job.
Chief
Maybe if the business wasn’t completely going down the drain. You could probably get yourself to a top agency (or at least you used to) after 2 years at the Brandcenter, but that’s 2 years of making no money and paying them A LOT.
You have the skills already so you can make the same spec work on your own now that you would make there. You just won’t have the connections, but you can make those on your own too for less than tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Adhouse (and I think Book180) and some others offer individual classes, which might be an option to look at.
You're stagnating.
Move the needle by engaging in other forms of selling.
e.g. Done right, Retail Sales can give you a tremendous foundation and insights into human nature.