I’m just 2years into this industry... is it possible to be in an agency that makes good work and doesn’t make you work evenings and weekends? I hate feeling like at all times any plans could be...

Solid work, maybe. But if you want to make really great work, you have to be passionate, make sacrifices and be prepared to work really hard. It’s a very competitive industry and the reality is, if you don’t want to put the time in there are plenty of other people who want your job more than you do. Solving problems takes time. And then there’s the crafting required once the idea is sold in. If you are already asking this question early in your career, I hate to say it but maybe it’s not the job for you.

Yes, it is possible.
You need a good leadership and to work focused.
Work til late and weekends doesn’t mean good work, it means lack of organization or competence, usually not by creatives but by someone involved on the process.

You have to put your foot down. If you dont they will squeeze the life out of you. So you have to take care of you.

Us

OP, some good points being made above. There’s a basic distinction here:

Being willing to swing for the fences and give your all when it’s required. That’s a must, and it should be for projects that are worth the squeeze. And this should feel like excitement, not dread.

It’s an entirely other thing to work late and weekends because your agency is dogshit at managing projects, schedules, and expectations. Sadly this is really common, and the idea that “so many people want this job” allows agencies to get away with worst practices and not have to clean up their acts.

That said, after 20 years of “taking one for the team“ I’m really jealous of my friends with city/union jobs who punch out at 4:59pm and basically can’t be fired.

A friend is a photographer who has worked with agencies all over the world - US, all over Europe & Asia. She’s always amazed at how much longer Americans take, how many more hours are plowed in to work, and the quality of the work & idea is not noticeably better - just the people are more stressed out and tired. That always struck me. We in the US tend to prize working harder rather than working smarter or having a good end product. It’s like if the process is simple and clear and it’s easy to get there, it must be not good enough.

I don't know if there are better agencies, but with mine this issue happens 15% of the time (down from 40% in my earlier years) bc I've recognized it's an allocation issue, and it is helpful to be firm in early scoping meetings bc if the project is scoped correctly from the gate (and there's also firm ground lines with clients and no scope creep) then the amount of late nights and weekends is significantly reduced. At first I was uncomfortable putting my foot down or demanding that projects be reduced in scope meetings, but ultimately the company exists to make $$$ so they want to get as much out of you as possible, but crazy scoping leads to high levels of project risk (I read a book on negotiating to understand how to deal with this), and the one thing that makes everyone listen is if you tell them that the proposed scheduling puts the entire project at risk, that's something that makes people listen and scope things correctly....I know that's not a magic recommendation of better agencies to work at, but maybe it can be slightly helpful? : /

...Canceled. And any freedom outside of work is just the illusion of freedom.. any weekend trip may need to get moved... any evening plans can only be attended with guilt or not at all... are there good agencies that have amazing work life balance AND produce solid work?

Was thinking about this... you're just 2 years in... nothing wrong with going above and beyond. Its the best way to be a creative sponge. But when you have plans stick to them. When you need time for you...make that happen. But you sre still green so its actually kind of good. Test the limits. Take it like a challenge. You you definitely learn from it. Just dont let it become a pattern. Especially at your next job. You should be jumping to your next job after like 2 years... you are new to this! Its how you get experience. Promotions and a raise...go for it. Be in control! Dont be a victim. ;)

There’s so many factors. A big one is the client’s habits and account’s ability to manage them. My career has ebbed and flowed from over and under worked for years. Nature of the biz.

It helped a lot that I'm paid for overtime and my agency is cheap and actually try to follow regular hours now. Work to live life, don't live to work.

No

Welcome to advertising.

Pick another business. Nothing will be on your terms. It’s a client service business

Are you in NYC? It’s the culture there. When I left, it got better.