Where / in what position should I be at the ripe age of 27? I'm in media buying and struggling to understand if I'm doing well or not.

Truly, don’t compare timing. Look to your manager for meaningful feedback & don’t be afraid to ask directly, “how am I doing?” Do you feel challenged? Do you feel like you are making progress towards your goals?

Agree with both above me. Your path is your own path. What you do with your years of experience matters. I personally took longer in the AMP and MP roles. But that allowed my supe and AMD promos to come relatively quickly. Some of my peers are younger with “better titles” but I think it all evens out in the long run

Completely agree w @VP1 & want to put you at ease here: don’t compare, because a lot of people switch into/out of this field and everyone is on a different journey. And I say this as someone a few years older than you who doesn’t know what she wants to be when she grows up—and is fine with that. Think about what you know you want & if you’re meeting your personal goals (so, as VP1 said, it’s very individualized). The fact that you’re asking means you’re goal-oriented and probably doing great. Also: titles vary WILDLY by company and are probably not your best indicator.

@ Ad1, think VP1 was referring to what Starcom 1 sounds like (not OP).

@Starcom 1: I get what you’re trying to add here, but to look at it from your side while clarifying what I think those of us above were trying to say: anytime I see AD, or any title, I’m wondering what the title actually means. Different firms promote differently and also have different hierarchical structures. I once worked at a firm that had 2 extra levels between SAS & AD for no reason and called AD “VP”

Very different titles have all essentially expressed the same thing at different firms when I’ve dug into them, so seriously, it’s not possible to say what title one should have at a particular age without any other context.

And I’ll tell you something else: companies sometimes take advantage of people by promoting in title but not salary. This is not fair and not what you want; a 27 y/o “AD” who makes <100k (which btw I’ve seen) has NOT "won.”

Hope this is helpful #nofluffjustfacts

Clarification— I, too, have often compared myself to peers. Telling you from experience that there are so many variables— success legitimately is not based on time. If you’re an AD in a crap role with no support system— not going to matter that you’re 27. You need to be looking for the other stuff. How many leaders at the company have you worked with? How versatile are you? Do you have a track record of clients loving you? How many people have you managed/mentored? Are you constantly current on what the marketplace is up to? If you ask me— the “fluffy” KPI is years spent in a role & Starcom1’s immaturity shows by giving that answer. I’m happy to give you the perspective that at 27, I think I was an AD. Director at 30, VP by 32ish, but that all means nothing if you don’t have chops to show for it. Surround yourself with the smartest/most interesting/provocative people you can find. Volunteer for projects that are a little scary. Keep a good attitude & make sure you are constantly learning. That is what success is.

Everything everyone else said above + replace "should" with "I want". Don't be a slave to societal shoulds but do take responsibility for what you want and work on getting it. The hardest part is figuring out what you want and setting goals, only then you can assess how you're doing against that versus the nebulous "everybody else out there" 🍀

^ Yeah, No. You should look into employee engagement, career satisfaction and career progression, personal values as they relate to professional development, and management theory.
And here's another spin on how OP "sounds": Like a young person who might be lost and/or not fully supported by their boss with meaningless or non-existent career guidance who feels under pressure to perform and get titles and increases but has no mentor so they're on social media asking about how to figure out where they stand in life/at work.
And btw, emotional intelligence is a key success factor in the workplace not something to be mocked.

@OP: seems that my (and others’, I think) point is that net/net, industry-wide (but tbh in general), titles alone may not be the best yardstick for success or for assessing where one is professionally.

Starcom 1 appears be thinking and answering in terms of Starcom specifically, which is perfectly fair—and perhaps even more helpful for you if you want to stay at Starcom long-term—but we are doing 2 different things. I’ll also say that at Edelman, how fast one can possibly move up varies a lot by practice/type of work

@VP1, quick thanks to you, as i have found your insights really helpful

Lots of fluffy answers above to make you feel better, but you sound ambitious so let me put in a perspective you want to hear. At 27, you should be an AD if you’re in media and have only ever been in media since out of school. This is assumed around annual promotions up to that point, but the further up you go the more the years drag out. I know someone that’s a Director, but that’s an exception based on additional sucking (up) skills. Hope that is helpful.

OP, you are going to get a lot of encouragement about going at your own pace. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s nothing wrong in looking for a comparison point either. I come from a family and culture that emphasizes comparing others. People are going to say that’s toxic, but I think it has helped elevate everyone in my immediate circle to do better. Also you’re fighting against the reality of ageism. At some point you’re too young for your title or too old and you’ll be judged on that even if it’s not right. I don’t blame you if you want to play your cards right. It does not surprise me at all that people react negatively to my opinion, in fact it’s really cute. The ambitious prey on the people going at their own pace.

Finally— ‘business need’ is a big influence in how fast or slow people move up. Just looking at people’s number of years in the role will never show that context. The best employee in the world may get stuck in a role for a while during a recession & the worst employee in the world could get elevated if we are desperate to fill a PN. Obviously both scenarios stink, but that’s reality.

Thanks you all so much - helpful to say the least. I think it would be useful to give some context. I graduated and went straight into media at an independent and got promoted quickly over my 3yrs there. I then joined Starcom as an AD at 24 (had major imposter syndrome initially as I was constantly made to feel like I was too young and inexperienced). After 2yrs I've just left Starcom for a Head of Digital role at an independent (fairly small), at the brink of 26/27.

Those not in the industry have always been impressed by my job title but as Edelman 1 said, I personally feel like job titles in this industry can be quite fluffy. Having Director in your title sounds more impressive than it is - as it feels like everyone's an AD.

I'm very positive about the Head of Digital role but again I do feel like it means less at a small agency Vs a Starcom.

Like Starcom 1, I come from a family and culture that expects a lot and compares with others. Being average is being bad, while being above average is what's expected. That's exactly how I've become - i always feel like I should be doing more and I don't ever want to be a cog in the wheel. I work incredibly hard, have built relationships with senior clients, won accounts etc but it never feels like enough. So in some senses what I was worried about and needed to know wasn't what would be 'average'...but what would be a 'good' or even 'great' position to be in.

Some of these points hit the nail on the head - as much as I am driven and ambitious, as AD1 said, I am lost and I lack management or guidance. It didn't help that at Starcom, they really do try to catch you failing...so proving them wrong about my age has been satisfying but relentless and exhausting. In my new role, I don't have a line manager so it's hard to get context and perspective on my performance.

VP1 you have been particularly helpful. I think it's impressive that you don't measure your success in time or titles - but that's so hard to do when I feel titles are judged so much. All the other points you mentioned (time with senior management, volunteering, client rapport) all make perfect sense, but aren't they all things you ultimately do in order to climb up the ladder and therefore once again be measured on title (or salary)? You've also done incredibly well from the sounds of it; were you not thriving for the next title in each of your roles?

OP, I hope you are so happy in your new role. DM me if you want to stay in touch. I want you to know— The reason I have strong opinions about this is because I have compared myself too much in the past. I had/have the same struggles you do, I just have a few more years under my belt so I have a different perspective now. In my job now, if my previous promotions had been (too) quick or deprived me of good experiences at those levels— I’d be pissed! I need that experience from all of those roles to make me good now. I need every relationship, awareness of every planning tool, metric, business category experience, etc. Just try to remember, too, to enjoy the ride. You want to get to your 30s being happy and proud of yourself, not feeling like you’ll never be enough. GOOD LUCK to you! The next time I run into a head of digital at a start up in NY, I’ll introduce myself 😉

OP you’re doing great! I also was hired as an AD at Starcom at 24, but never revealed my age so people didn’t discriminate against me for being so young. Growing up in a family where being above average was only acceptable certainly made us “above average.” I struggle with seeing myself like that, but I have friends and therapists who tell me that I’m doing great. Titles mean nothing to my family, but boy does money talk. While money shouldn’t be an indicator of success, I do feel like I make more money than I deserve. That silences the inner voice telling me I’m not enough because someone thought I was and more.

The inner critic is powerful and real and we all struggle with it. No amount of other people telling you you're enough will be enough until you get there within your own self. Also, I think it's important to make the distinction between always wanting to improve yourself versus wanting to be or feeling you are "better than" others. People value different things in life and/or in different order of priority so it's never ever apples to apples to compare. And let's not forget that how things look on the outside is close to 100% not how they are or how they feel for others on the inside - social media by far the best example of external veneer. The more you look to others as a benchmark for success the more you'll be taking your attention away from your own path. But that goes full circle back to working on figuring out what/where you want to be (goals) and mapping plans for how to get there afterwards. Otherwise you'll always be lost or playing catch up to others.
OP, thank you for sharing and for a great discussion. Feel free to reach out anytime as well!