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Hi Fishes, I am planning to switch my profile to Google Cloud.
Current YOE: 6 Current Tech Stack: C++
Please help me to kickstart my journey. Where to start what need to be studied/practised. Thanks in Advance.
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What are the reasons you have fired someone?
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
Creatives love PM's more than account, generally. PM's are my best friends.
I hate how advertising is somehow blending PM and account. Those are NOT the same
I think being a PM is a brutal job. Account also can be more strategic and business driven. More well rounded.
Every time we have an US vs. THEM post, it begins very clear how little anyone knows about the others' jobs by posting ignorant comments. And my PM is my most trusted partner in managing the account on the inside and my work husband.
So, we found the Account Director no one likes to work for cause they love to belittle and rip other's curiosity apart. Hierarchy clear breeds arrogance. Feeling better now cause someone used the wrong word?
So, an answer that won't give you a hard time. Account and PM are different by what feels right. Do you like being a hub to the agency/client? Finding solutions to help drive a business forward that require leveraging various skills? Account. Trust me this is the short answer for some account things.
PM takes a people person, a process oriented individual who has foresight and a pulse on an agency to partner with account to deliver projects. Great PMs have strong inter-agency relationships and are buttoned up. The last can apply to good account people too.
Last, if you're good at your job money will come. Do what feels right first.
PM definitely! While there's been times I've been client facing, I like the fact that you don't have to deal/talk to them every day. And I love working closely with the Creative teams!
PM if you want to help make things. ACT if you want to make them more difficult to make. (Not all account people, but most).
We don't have PMs - we make the account people cover the role, and we're worse for it.
I feel like PMs are usually pretty young ladies and accounts are young douchey dudes.
They are two completely different skill sets....
Real PMs require actual skills, account doesn't require any skills other than preppy outfits
PM gets so little respect in most places. I don't think I'd want that job ever. Account these days isn't much better though.
Yeah, define "better"
it *becomes
Agree AD1. How do we know so little about the value we bring?!?
I didn't mean this to be an US vs THEM post. I meant it to learn more about the two roles and how they operate at different agencies because it seems that they can overlap in their responsibilities sometimes
OP, you asked "which is the better role?", so there's that. Better assumes comparison and ranking. Words matter.
I meant better as in which one do people prefer to have for a career in terms of growth opportunity, salary, day to day lifestyle. Yes I asked for a comparison (I said I asked for that). But I wasn't trying for an US vs THEM. I thought fishbowl was to help educate people and answer their questions...
Account Supervisor 2, I'm happy to compare sarcasm skills, if you think it will be meaningful. I'm not aware of anyone not liking working with me, quite the contrary. If your boss puts you down, I'm sorry for that, but it doesn't really mean it projects onto others automatically.
OP, I'm not aware of having said anything offensive to you at all. Short or to the point isn't the same as rude. My original comment still stands because it was a reaction to a lot of the comments you had already gotten, which in turn were based on your wording. What is your current role/dept? This can be helpful to understand what your current experience of what account and project management may have been so far. They are fundamentally different jobs, but do require a lot if the same skills. I have a business degree from undergrad, many account people come from liberal arts abd humanities and struggle with the marketing side of it. In addition to what AS2 said:
You must have people skills 100%, in both jobs. Those can be developed under the right boss. Account is the center, and the bridge between client and agency, you must know the client business, the competitors business, the industry as a whole and the trends. You must understand business and marketing principles and sales, etc. You must learn all the client company structure, politics, inter dept drama your clients deal with. You're an extension of the client marketing team. Internally, you must be the subject matter expert on the account, learn to review and provide meaningful feedback to creative, be an all around problem solver, cat herder, consoler, therapist and psychologist of various egos, messenger of bad news, executive decision maker when no one else knows what to do or how to proceed. That comes with great responsibility. You represent the agency and the team to the client. Shit goes wrong, client isn't happy, wrong file was emailed, whatever, it's on you. You are the gate keeper.
Project management is your right hand, they are responsible for allocating resources, timeline development and management, scope and pricing development, vendor management, making things happen, cracking the whip, keeping you and team accountable. They are the internal gatekeeper. The budget and timing masters. They advocate and mediate between the departments. You must check with them first. You collaborate with them greatly if you're account.
And so on.