What its like to work in all three
Moving into or switching creative roles can be an exciting career change, with limitless options and a lot of opportunity. But, from UX to branding, to illustration and animation — choosing the right place to balance your creative skills and personal goals can be a pivotal move in this decision. I have worked for nearly a decade in the professionally creative industry: as an agency Art Director doing nationwide campaigns, to a freelance designer working with small businesses on their branding, and most recently as a UX designer in an in-house environment — and am here to share my take on what it is like to work in all three.
Based solely off of my own personal experience, I have rated each on a scale of 1-5 in the top categories that I felt deemed the most relevant across all three experiences. Creative influence can weigh on what kind of experience you are looking to have from this job transition, leaving all other factors aside. While we all know that you do take a job for compensation + personal time every job comes with an unmeasurable price. And while career trajectory may seem inherent to any position you take, each path comes with its own set of unexpected hurdles.
Agency:
Working at a creative agency is like being back in design school. The experience will give you the chops and grit to be able to tackle any other feat that comes after for you, and nothing beats the energy. However, it can burn you out if you’re not ready for it — so make sure you know exactly what you are signing up for before applying.
Creative Influence (5/5): Being surrounded by other creative thinkers and weirdos straight out of art school, there’s nothing like it. At a good agency, you’ll never find a better batch of crazies to work with than you will here. Everyone is there to push the limits (and the midnight oil), and the only thing stopping you is the client’s budget or timeline.
Compensation + Personal Time (1/5): If you are looking to make money, this probably isn’t your best bet. The money funnels from the client, to the partners, through the overhead, to the staff — and it’s all dictated by the client’s bottom line. It can also be a very competitive environment to work in, so be prepared to put in the extra time to really show your value — and expect the overall experience to be the best compensation of all.
Career Trajectory (2/5): Since the majority of agency success is reliant on their clients’ performance, working in this environment is naturally a volatile experience. Mergers and acquisitions into larger groups are also common. Hopefully, with the help of your incredible agency, your clients will only continue to grow and be successful — but it’s hard to truly navigate that outcome from the outside.
Freelance:
There’s nothing more liberating than working for yourself, but also nothing more isolating. It can give you some of the highest highs winning new pitches all by yourself - but also an overwhelming amount of stress learning how to run a business along with being creative.
Creative Influence (3/5): I would rate this slightly lower than the agency model, only because all of your creative influence has to be sought out independently. Granted, unlike an agency, you are free to collaborate with whomever you want and explore any topic to your hearts content — but you will never really have that same “built in connection” as you do with an agency (unless your freelance model turns into an agency, then see point 3 above).
Compensation + Personal Time (3/5): The time and the money are probably the best parts about freelancing. Want to give yourself all of April to “dream big on the beach while taking nice siestas and sipping margaritas”? Great! Want to charge $400/hour to render hair for video game art? Do it! The difference is, it’s all on you to make it happen.
Career Trajectory (4/5): Freelancing is 100% what you make of it. You can be very comfortable and successful working independently for your entire career, however — doing so also comes with the price of owning a business. You are not only the creative director, but also: the business manager, HR, IT department, accountant, etc. So if running a business is something that you want to do, this is probably the most predictable path to a successful future since the future is entirely up to you. But if you really just enjoy being creative, maybe think twice before you commit to running your own payroll for the rest of your life.
In-House:
If you like being creative, but can also hang in a corporate environment — an in-house role is a great way to learn all sides of the business. In-House creative agencies are a fast track to getting ideas implemented, and working one step closer to the bottom line often ends up in your pocket as well.
Creative Influence (1/5): In general, most in-house experiences are not the most innately creative environments to work. The business is there to run, its business — most of which are not dictated by Photoshop skills. But don’t let this factor dismay you from choosing a direction like this. In the age of user experience and technology, business leaders are starting to see the direct impact that design has on the bottom line — and the in-house model is becoming an increasingly popular option for creatives looking for a bit of structure.
Compensation + Personal Time (5/5): Corporations are the ones who pay the agencies and the freelancers, so by working directly for them eliminates the middle man, putting the money directly in your pocket. Same goes for time off too, when your team is dictating the deadlines it’s easier to pivot to more reasonable expectations for everyone.
Career Trajectory (3/5): If you are comfortable working in a corporate environment, working in-house may be a surprisingly comfortable track for you. With less job volatility, its a secure long-term move — but depending on where you are, the work may get a bit repetitive over time.
At the end of the day, it all depends on what kind of experience you are looking for. I’ve met some of the most creative minds at agencies and developed skills that can’t be taught elsewhere. But if having full control over your work, or striving towards a better life balance is what you want — there may be other options for you. There’s no one work scenario that is perfect for everyone, but at least we’re all fortunate enough to work in an industry where there are plenty of options to choose from.