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I work for a pharma shop. I’m considering making the switch to more traditional consumer. What’s up with all the pharma haters? Is tobacco, fast food, and military less soul selling than pharma somehow?

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The SCW in that thread who talked about pharma haters being older frustrated creatives seems to have hit the nail in the head imho.

The haters hating on the work have zero clue like the ACD shitting on visual metaphors as if we don’t have concepts that get killed by the clients or regulatory.

I’ve done pharma and non pharma. Have a lot of respect for both but did find that my colleagues in non pharma agencies seem to have more energy and life (as the first poster in the linked thread noted). No disrespect to either path but found pharma to have more of a corporate feel, even on agency side.

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I’m so done even worrying about these posts as I watch every person I know over 45 in general consumer collectively crap their pants, then call me in pharma, looking for a way to make their mortgage or pay for their kids college. Welcome aboard fellow old farts! Let’s do this!

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Alright so as someone who wants to do both, how do I go into non-pharma?

I mean OP you’re posting this because you disagree with the premise that the AD in that thread would ruin their career by getting a job in pharma, right? Okay, then how would someone like me or that AD get a job outside of pharma?

Not trolling, I really would like to know. Because if the argument is “your career would thrive because there’s plenty of work in pharma” then you didn’t understand their question. They don’t want to be pigeonholed in one category. I don’t either. So what would we do?

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Their question is flawed in the first place is my point. I don't know what that OP's career goals are or what their definition of a successful career is. Simply Being in general advertising is not in any way an indication of an interesting or successful career. You can have a successful career in anything in principle, depending on a variety of factors, of course - but your own talent and effort put into it are no small part of those factors.
If you are personally interested in doing a variety of industries then put a plan for yourself on how to get there. Maybe don't workat the same agency more than two years at a time. Maybe network and go to events and develop relationships with individuals outside of one area or agency and keep tabs on when work or accounts you're interested become available to apply or be referred to. Maybe volunteer working for startups and non profits to build your book further if the issue is you only have pharma in it or do spec work. I don't know your individual situation or goals. Maybe that's an amount of effort you're not really willing to put in and ultimately not as critical to you to straddle both and just a nice to have you tell yourself. Again, you're in charge of your career goals.

We still have hope

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