I spent the first 6 years of my career at agencies and have been in-house for the past 5+ years. It’s a fast-paced company and the pay is great, but my learning has stalled and I’m thinking of going back to agency to learn more. Has anyone done this, and what was the readjustment like? Also, would I be insane to give up a well paying job for an agency job in this market?

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Not insane at all! I totally get it. (Agency life 8 years, in house 2 years).

I miss the group environment and togetherness of working in the same industry as the people around me (rather than being an island).

I sometimes think agency could be good to go back to, since I know what I would want from it.

However—I also remember the crappy side of agencies. And when it’s bad, it’s bad. (I came from midsize)

Is there a way to build a group of PR people in-house to get together to energize each other and refresh our perspectives?

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I can only tell you my personal experience doing this... I worked my way up at a global PR firm for almost nine years, then left to go to a client, and then a smaller boutique firm where I was PR director. I was recruited back to the agency and stayed for two years. Yes, the professional development aspects were significant, but I determined I wanted to leave within a year of re-joining. Agencies (especially large ones) are dysfunctional —so many layers of unnecessary BS! I determined I had enough contacts and experience to start my own consulting firm 15 years ago, and I've never looked back! If you want to stay on top of industry developments, ask for professional development opportunities. Stay involved in your local PRSA or Ad Fed to keep up with the latest learning, too.

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What do you want to get out of it agency side that you aren’t getting now? I would say to look for more internal opportunities, but I know that can be very limited depending on where you are.

That makes sense. Comfortable equals stagnation a lot of the time.

I totally get where you’re coming from, but I wouldn’t do it. I think now is just not a good time to be considering switching to an agency, especially if you’ve got a secure and well-paying job. It’s a little different for boutique and independent agencies, but I think the big agencies are in a lot of turmoil at the moment so I would sit tight and let the dust settle a bit before making any major changes.

I’m curious what you think you’re not learning in house that you would learn at an agency? I’ve done both. I think agencies are good for the start of your career to get some basic knowledge but I prefer in-house work. If you’re concerned about falling behind you could join an organization or do some networking.

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