Love my job. Grateful for the work. Blah blah blah. But also… I need more money.

For those who’ve left “hot” shops like W+K, Droga, etc. for another agency or brand side… what was it really like?

Was the work/life balance noticeably better? Did the culture feel different? And did the financial jump actually make up for leaving a name everyone recognizes?

Curious to hear from anyone who’s made that jump and lived to tell about it.

When I was a junior, I left an ultra creative shop known for producing some edgy work in town for a job at a stuffy network agency for a pay bump. I was young and I needed the extra money (buying an engagement ring, saving for a home, etc.)

I instantly regretted it. The culture was awful. I found the CDs taste questionable. And the work unfulfilling. I hated all of my coworkers. Dreaded coming into work Monday morning. My AD partner was checked out, taking gigs as a voice actor on the side during work.

Still to this day, I regret leaving that first job too early. I sometimes still walk past my first agency reminiscing about those glory days.

I know money is important but if you can swing it, some things are better than more cash.

I have never worked at a shop as reputable as W+K, but I have worked at shops that are quite well known. The answer is: It depends. In most cases, any frustration you feel that is industry-related (aggressive hours) may likely be experienced elsewhere. There are things about the agency world that are similar no matter where you go. One word of caution would be do you prefer to have no work/life balance doing work you’re proud of? Or no work/life balance cranking out the latest “two medium pizzas and 12 wings” retail spots? Beware of the agencies that talk too much about their culture. Agencies that have a culture problem tend to over compensate. Agencies with a great culture don’t necessarily have to tout it because they walk the walk. If I were you, I’d focus on working for good mangers, respectful/smart clients and brands that align with career trajectory you seek. This can happen at hot shops or just “good” shops. While work/life balance is hard anywhere, avoiding shops with a reputation for dysfunction would be wise. Finally, while there are pros to the client side, know that “stability” anywhere is a myth.

Saying this as much for myself as I am for you. The pressure to get to a place like that, stay there, keep working at that level forever, the fear of people thinking you couldn’t hack it any longer - all real. But it’s okay to leave a really good agency for more money elsewhere. That’s why you work so hard to open up those opportunities.

at a shop that hires a lot of ex wk. people at the top are p jealous and make their lives difficult (eg are overly critical or put them on bad briefs regularly). i’ve seen similar phenomena at other shops, too. the narrative is wk creatives have it so easy they don’t really need to do as much work. but the reality is most shops have created a cycle of doing work to do work and don’t want to admit it.

In the end, you should just do what’s best for you. W+K won’t think twice about letting you go if they lose an account.

As a current WKer who’s been there for almost a decade, I think it depends. WK is an amazing place to work - but I say this as someone who got their start at other agencies before making my way there. But, if this is the only place you’ve known, there is absolutely something to experiencing life outside of WK that can be super helpful to your own growth. Working for different types of CDs on different types of clients, clients with smaller budgets/less name recognition can sometimes offer a better creative opportunity than selling the next adult happy meal, etc.

WK can often underpay for the junior and mid level roles and sometimes it just makes sense financially to move on, but if you do stay it can very much pay off later.

And there are countless stories of WK rebounders which goes to show that if you have a good relationship, good at what you do, and leave on good terms, if the timing is right you can often come back, if you wanted. I like to call it a WK rumspringa.

I did this. Not a super hot shop, but a notable one, and went brand side. It’s much more lame over here but the money is loads better, the hours are loads better and my quality of life got loads better. I miss getting schmoozed by reps and I don’t get invited to industry parties any more and I don’t get free stuff from editing or production houses anymore but the trade off has been worth it, at the end of the day. I legit feel like I retired from ad land. In three years since moving, I’m actually in a position to actually buy a house now, for the first time ever. I also have a pension 🤯. So ya…. I miss agency life but there’s more to life than work (who knew?).

Similar paths - left design shops (places where I had much more sanity, passion and respect) for some ad agencies for more money. Now I make ~50% more than ppl with similar title and yoe at design shops and have big famous brand names on my CV. BUT - I hate my job in advertising and want to go back every day. I guess the real question is how big a difference does “more money” actually make to your life, and will it be worth the potential unhappiness & the feeling of “now I can never go back”. If you desperate need that money, go for it now. But always adjust your path depends on what’s the most important to you at this current moment.

Is W+K really as respected outside of advertising or even within it the way it used to be? It’s not the 90s anymore. That agency isn’t in charge of global popular culture with Nike the way it used to be. I can’t think of a single television commercial that has captured the attention of the country the way of it they used to with Old Spice and that was 20 years ago. I don’t think having that name on your resume guarantee you anything more than having the name, Ogilvy.

Rarely you’ll find a role in this industry that offers you: money, work-life balance, and opportunity + craft. You just have to decide what your priorities are.

I quit a senior role at a top shop two years ago and regret leaving.

Here’s my advice: this is a shallow industry, once you give up that prestigious agency name, it’s hard to claw your way back. Don’t assume you’ll get another opportunity like this again and make sure you’re REALLY ready if you decide to leave.

👋

We have lots of ex Wieden folks and they all seem pretty happy. Creatively it’s obviously a few steps down, but money and hours are better.

Worked brand-side with several ex WK creatives (and from other hot shops), they definitely enjoyed the better work-life balance and they were paid a lot. My strat colleague was from WK as well, and they doubled their salary essentially. Depends on your goals. Being brand side in general is more boring/less creative than a lot of agencies, not just WK