Is it possible to get pushed out of advertising for good? Like just not able to find a new job and at that point, what do you even do?

Man, I hope so.

Yes. Age will push anyone out in this industry far before most other fields.

You will one day be perceived as “too expensive, having out-dated ideas, being hard to work with”. No thought will be given to how efficiently you work, how strategically smart your ideas are, and your ability to question what is right or wrong. The ultimate decision maker is the CEOs best friend, the CFO and his spreadsheet.

It tried hard to push me out when I was 54. Took a full year (at least) to find a full time job. I finally did. A couple years later I’m still employed!

What did you do?

It may seem that way for a while. You might have to go into freelancing for a while. Break out of your rut. Get over any physical or mental challenges that this brutal industry has either caused or exacerbated. But, periodic reinvention and re-emergence is possible and even positive. It's painful, but it can lead you to grow in new areas. Often you'll find that the a-holes that drummed you out of work 5 years ago now want to be your best friends again on LinkedIn in because they just got put through what they put you through and now could use your help.

Ageism is a thing

It happened to a friend of mine who called it involuntary retirement

Just retrain and do something else.

By 50 you’re pretty much done if you’re a creative with few exceptions. You start your own thing, retire if you were smart with money, or find another career. Honestly, it’s liberating. The thought of working at an agency past mid fifties or so is nightmare fuel.

I’ve never worked at an ad agency but spent the majority of my career in boutique design studios or in house. But I always feared turning 40 because I didn’t actually know any designers over 40. And then I became one and it was fine. Now I’m 50 and while I could keep going, I’m voluntarily pulling the rip cord on this career.

At 50, something existential happens and you get a major software update. You stop giving a shit and you definitely don’t let people push you around. Fuck you pay me, or fuck off.

As others have said, I benefited from being financially savvy in my 30’s and 40’s when budgets were big and when Bay Area clients wouldn’t flinch at the cost of a proposal. As you get more advanced in your career you may have more opportunities to make chunks of cash well beyond your base salary. At least that happened for me. For example I had opportunities to profit share on new biz that I brought in and got lucky a few times bringing in whale clients with gigantic budgets. I worked my ass off but made a fuck ton of extra cash that way. Also being part of “senior leadership” or other shit like that often came with bonuses / profit sharing / etc. These are things that were not accessible to me earlier in my career but became very lucrative as I got older.

Now, I’ve done everything I wanted to do in the biz and I’m at a point where I don’t want to do it anymore. I’ve gradually cultivated other interests and skills in completely different areas. I’m still involved in some design projects that are fun for me, but only on my terms.

I will say that changing careers is not easy. It’s fucking hard. I’m in medical school now and have a way to go before I’m done, but I love this journey and as a seasoned adult, nothing scares me. I’ve navigated horrific office politics, crammed for meetings, presented to CEOs, negotiated contracts, managed huge complex budgets, hired and fired people, and there’s a lot of confidence that comes with that.

I’d imagine that’s never gonna happen. The jobs you can get may feel beneath you but I doubt you’ll ever be pushed out completely.

Yep happens on your 40th birthday

At this point I’m feeling like it’s a yes for me at my age (55). This is the longest I’ve gone in my life without an income. Plenty of interviews, but never get the job.

Mark Zuckerberg is actively moving to bring the advertising industry in-house at Meta by leveraging artificial intelligence to automate the entire ad process-from creative development to targeting and measurement. His vision is that businesses will simply state their objectives and connect their bank accounts, while Meta’s AI generates all ad creatives, targets audiences, analyzes results, and optimizes campaigns, effectively replacing the need for traditional creative agencies and external advertising partners.
This approach, which Zuckerberg calls “infinite creative,” aims to make Meta the one-stop platform for businesses’ advertising needs, fundamentally redefining the industry and posing a direct challenge to agencies and brands that have historically managed creative and strategy themselves. Meta is already seeing significant adoption of its AI ad tools, with over 30% of customers using them to develop creatives and early results showing notable increases in conversion rates

Did 45 years as a combo of agency cd, small virtual agency owner, and freelance writer. My take? Leave now. The gig is up, the fun is gone, and if AI hasn't taken your job already, it soon will. What used to be a tough but satisfying career is now drudgery, bean counting, and fear.

In order to survive this industry, you need to evolve with it. That might mean moving into different areas you never considered. Yes, ageism is a thing. At the end of the day you are being judged $
If your employers ROI on you is non existent, you better start figuring shit out fast. Creative people who think they have no part in the sales process are the first to go. No one gives a shit what cool campaign you worked on 4 years ago let alone 15. They care about your professional relationships and the network you’ve been able to build & retain over the years. So yea, you might be a junior level person, but you are extremely tight with someone at the brand level who has decision making authority. Then of course there are so many other things to consider. Ego, personality, how well you play in the sandbox with others, presentation skills, etc. I’ve seen total assholes stay 20+ years in one position solely because of their standing with the client.

By that definition, you can get pushed out of anything - especially with a recession brewing and many industries (ours included) contracting.