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Did anyone else 'fishbowl' cars in high school?
Pros and cons of working on an auto brand?
Any great resume-writer recos? I need help!
What was your most amazing day in advertising?
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I love just being a "working CD" despite having ECD and above past titles and experience....relatively little internal agency swirl and headaches and BS, to your point. The tradeoff, however, is no health care (unless on spouse/partner's plan) and always wondering when your next gig is coming and/or when the well will run dry and fearing you're always a few ghosting-filled months away from living in a refrigerator box.
It's all relative.
Most freelance CDs on the bigger rates have been ECDs elsewhere, and have extensive contacts in the industry. With that trust, you get lumped with some pretty high-pressure situations, aka 'This whole pitch is down to you.'
However the advantage is you can switch off almost entirely from office politics. You can work from home if that's your setup. You still will do late nights and weekends, especially if you want to keep your work better than others, but you can negotiate and get paid.
The best advantage is if you are set up as an LLC / PTY LTD company.
My company earns a lot more than a regular CD would in any given year, but I personally pay myself much less.
Therefore with some jiggery-pokery I pay much less tax and my company pays expenses while investing in other ventures.
It's a hassle and involves a lot more admin, but as a former regional ECD being taxed 48c in the dollar, I am way ahead doing it this way.
Wow.
What types of costs are treated as expenses covered by your company, versus “normal” living costs? Meals? Groceries?
Can you invest in, say, a laundromat? (Just thinking passive income streams..)
I call it the mental health path—no politics, no egos. I pay for my own health insurance, but my stress levels have dropped significantly. Rare late nights and definitely no weekend work.
Plus late lights and weekends generate 1.5x overtime. 💰
It’s my plan for sure. Except efffff agencies. Freelancing for tech companies pays even better. Work your way up at the agency and make good connections and stay in touch with people you meet along the way. By the time you’re CD or ECD, you’ll probably have a friend or two who jumped in house. Places like Meta will do 6-12 month long freelance gigs and pay 💰💰💰
It’s all about who you know. Make connections at tech companies if you don’t already know anyone at any. That’s the only way to get hired is through referrals these days. Or take a freelance role and hope they hire you
What rates does your agency pay them?
like if you can juggle more than one project you’re making buckoo bucks