work in advertising

I want to go to college and go into advertising. I love working on computers and working with cameras and creating things so something like this would be fun for me i think.

If you get into advertising, your graphic design chops will improve faster than any graphic design class could ever take you. But it’s fucking competitive man, and you’ll have to get wise to the game but quick, because there’s a whole lotta backstabbing going on.

And be prepared to have an empty feeling in your soul at the end of the day—whoring your creativity out to do a junk mail piece for ACME Widgets might pay the bills, but it leaves you creatively drained, with nothing left for the projects that truly inspire you.

So my advice is to jump in with both feet, swim with the sharks, so to speak, learn the lingo and the ‘workflow’ and the production process, hone your chops, but then get out before it drains your creativity dry. Then take your know-how and apply it to projects that will help to repair your karma for all the clearcutting and dioxin poisoning you contributed to.

I’m a senior art director for a small “creative” agency in a very small market. I’m so tired of the BS that surrounds trying to do great work here. ie.. clients have no money but want top notch work and boss wants top notch work but doesn’t want you to spend too much time. I think this is the mind set of the other agencies here as well. I’m sort of stuck here due to certian circumstances so moving is not much of an option. Any advice from someone in a similar situation?