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I often reflect on how I should have just learned a trade and started my own business. I feel like when you work for an agency, you spend all your waking hours swimming in stress, bullshit, toxic politics, and for what? To make other people wealthy and successful while you continue to barely tread water, year after year. Yep. If I could do it all over again, I would go into carpentry, plumbing, or some other skilled labor and have my own business.
The culinary industry is just as bad if not worse, fyi.
Its work. Why would friendships be more than superficial?
I want to be a plumber. At the end of each day you just wash the shit off.
Right there with you about culinary school
Nice to know I’m not alone.
this industry attracts narcissists and sociopaths. it is better if you leave the coasts. after more than a decade in coastal shops I'd had enough. I felt like I was trapped in an episode of Survivor.
As someone who's worked in the food service industry, you're nuts for thinking culinary school will save you.
As someone who’s “just being a mom” right now, cherish the fact that you’re not being screamed at or barely getting any sleep. The lack of paycheck/respect is just the icing on the cake.
I hear you, MD. I wish I could help. I wish the MDs and high levels at my last agency had had been able to put the politics aside and help me when I got targeted by a toxic narcissist. I know that they had a lot more to lose by helping me than staying the course. The way things are set up doesn't help anyone do the right thing, and that only gets worse and the consequences, for everyone, more dire the further up the food chain you get. I hope you can, even in a small way, do right things to offset the wrong ones you wind up having to suck up for the sake of picking battles. And if not, I hope that at the very least, you don't have to do anything, or stay silent about anything, that truly destroys your soul. <3
Figure it out and make it happen.
The assholes are usually not the ones reporting to you. It’s people well outside your jurisdiction, clients included. I think the OP is merely coming to the realization that an advertising career just isn’t worth the price of admission these days, and I concur.
FYI culinary school is more for pleasure and learning then becoming a chef. And it is a day dream so nothing goes wrong there. Thank you all for your responses. Need to be reminded grass is not always greener. And to the AD ☝️above I do look out for my team and I am sorry to hear you were not. Honestly, I take the bullets willingly for them. Doing the right thing and being honest in business is key for our approach in this very shady business. Your sharing your experience motivates me to keep doing it and looking to do more good to offset the wrong.. love that!
Word 👆
Are you part of the problem? If you’re an MD you own your agency culture your people are simply emulating YOU
OP don't you have influence over the culture given your position? I was bullied while reporting to someone in your position and they sided with the bullies, laying me off after essentially ignoring me and not communicating for months. Culture starts at the top, have you tried to change things?
Not trying to be confrontational, my question is about your position and using it to change the greater environment. Seems you could make a difference somehow if you're that close to the top. We need more people trying to change things from the inside!
@ CD 2 -
I got the sense this was a longer term thing than current job. But I could be wrong!