• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, July 30, 2015

Answering a Quora question, "What is it like to work at an advertising agency?", advertising copywriter and critic Caroline Zelonka wrote, among other highly informative and insightful information about working in ad agencies: "It all sounds like heaven, right? It is, but agencies can also be high-pressure, with lots of competition and politicking. The agency environment is also male-dominated, especially in the higher creative echelons. Women who succeed can often be back-stabby, and in my experience, not very nurturing when it comes to younger female talent. This is one thing I did not like about working for big agencies; a lot of the women reminded me of the Mean Girls movie."

Yes, I am fully aware this question was answered two years ago so you don't have to get all over me for that one. Zelonka does offer some very valuable -- and timeless -- information to those thinking of working in an ad agency. Having spent many years there myself, I can completely concur with her assessment.

She points out that it can be "awesome" and rewarding both personally and professionally. She points out the many perks that come with working in an ad agency, and equally, the many long hours and client frustrations that go hand in hand with all the awesomeness.

Perhaps you've already read her Quora post. Perhaps you haven't. It's worth a read if you're interested in considering an ad agency career or if you have been asked this question by another person who's interested.

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