Life At The Agency
I have been at Waggener Edstrom for close to 2 months now. I’ve worked on a few really awesome projects and have started to get a grasp for what it’s like to work at an agency. I though I’d write a bit about my experience there so far and how it compares to freelancing.
First off, I really enjoy my team. I think one of the biggest factors in whether you’ll enjoy working at an agency is your team. I am lucky to have a good mix of disciplines, ages, men/women, and personalities on my team. While freelancing, I spend a lot of time sitting at a computer by myself. If creative community is what you’re after, you’ll probably enjoy working for an agency.
Secondly, I find that the creative atmosphere fuels my own creativity. Sometimes a co-worker will have an idea or insight into something that I missed. This can be a really good thing if used constructively. I was recently working on a project where the input of a co-worker greatly enhanced the final product. If it were left up to me alone, it probably wouldn’t have been as sharp.
And of course you can’t ignore the stability and benefits that come from agency work.
Working at an agency has it’s downsides too. For me, the biggest pitfall is the 2hr commute each day. That is time away from my family that I truly miss. When freelancing from home I have the ability to take breaks in the middle of the day to take my kids to the park or eat lunch with them. Gotta love that!
Another thing that I miss is working one-on-one with clients. Most of my freelance clients are small businesses, churches, or non-profit organizations. I work very hands-on with my clients and handle everything from project management, design, development, and site content. As an agency designer you’ll probably not interact a whole lot with the client. At least for me, when working on a project at the agency I deal mainly with a project manager who does all the leg-work. I miss the hands-on personal approach to dealing with clients.
So far it’s been great at Waggener Edstrom. We’ll see what the future has in store.
7 Responses to “Life At The Agency”
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hey vin…i’ve really enjoyed working on my new team at Creative Fuel…i still work by myself…but we talk as much as you would in an office by using skype and mobile…
glad to hear things are going good…even with the commute.
I didn’t know you moved. Shows how much I pay attention sometimes! :)
Congrats on the new job. Looks like a great team.
yeah, it’s a new company we launched in July, i’m on the exec team/co-owner. title is chief collaborator/community manager. doing a lot of sales/account management at moment.
Hey Vin,
Good to hear that you are enjoying your new gig. There’s just something about a creative environment that I love. Sure, it comes with its own set of headaches, but the creative energy can be a game-changer. Congratulations!
Thanks Kerry. It has been quite a different experience than freelancing. Looks like I’ll be hanging around at the agency for a while more. I totally agree with you about the creative energy. It can be a great catalyst for great ideas.
(in a pirate like voice) ahhhh it be the agency life for meeeee.
nothing like the creativity of a group — I always find its the worst and the best. The worst as its a constant competition of ideas, and the threat I always felt of having the worst idea… in contrast it was the best because the great ideas usually win.
I also agree with your comment Vin working from home, I worked from home for about 5 years and it was great to spend time with my young family and miss the commute!
Thanks for the comment Steve. My biggest struggle has been to find balance between work at the agency and my freelance. Eventually something’s gotta give…