Over 35, Employed In The Creative Department? Your Days Are Numbered!
By Andy Strote Photo by Sergio de Paula
Lately, my LinkedIn feed has been filled with creative ex-employees, mostly age 50 or over, all complaining about ageism, losing their jobs, being “aged out”.
I’m not old, I’m experienced!
Experience doesn’t age out—it levels up.
The corporate managers don’t know what they’re doing!
After nearly a year, I still can’t find another job! Can’t even get an interview!
This is a huge mistake!
It should be against the law! I’m calling a lawyer.
All Older Creatives Agree It’s Terrible
Read the comments under one of these LinkedIn posts. There are hundreds of them, many from other creatives in the same situation. Here are five verbatims of 1,590 comments from just one post:
“What a wonderful post. Thank you for sharing! So relevant!”
“I really needed this today. Thank you. It is sooo true!”
“YES!!! Thank you so much for articulating all that’s been in my head.”
“Well said. Decades of experience are priceless.”
“As I navigate a terribly recent layoff, reading this filled me with a bit of hope. Thank you for sharing so eloquently.”
All of them praising the poster, commiserating. None of them offering a real solution.
What Is The “Older Creatives” Problem?
Why aren’t these creatives being hired? Why can’t they even get an interview? After all, they’ve got lots of experience. What’s the problem?
Here it is:
They’re very expensive. If their last job was “creative director” or some longer, fancier title, they were making $300K, $400K, $500K or more with bonuses, expense accounts, you name it.
They haven’t kept up. The communications world is undergoing radical changes. They’ve obviously fallen behind. Some will try to fake it, fooling nobody.
They were getting paid to manage people. The communications world already has too many managers, sorry.
They’re in the way of others moving up. How can a company promote someone to their position (younger, less expensive) if they’re still in the job?
And finally, they were at the top of the creative pyramid. They couldn’t be promoted. To what job? The company already has a president. And yet, they expect a raise every year. For what?
What’s the Answer to the Unemployed Older Creatives Problem? It’s Painfully Simple
Let’s skip to the end: at that age, you can’t afford to be an employee in a creative capacity. You’re one unpleasant meeting away from being unemployed and moaning about it on LinkedIn.
You need to be an owner or partner, in charge of your career, and responsible for your income.
In other words, instead of looking for a job, you have to give yourself a job.
The trick is to start thinking about it early.
By Your Mid-30s, You Should Be Self-employed
For your future, think about one of these choices:
You could become a partner at your current agency. This is a very delicate dance if you want to become a partner where you work. If you’re in your 30s, try to find out whether they would entertain the idea, maybe not immediately, but in the next few years.
You’ll get one of three answers: yes, no, or we haven’t thought about it much.
Creative firms, unlike law firms, are notoriously bad at creating partner structures.
If you’re older and have been there a few years, and they haven’t had the “partner talk” with you, odds are they’re not interested in having you as a partner. So, could you ask them? Yes, you could. It’s unlikely you’ll be successful, but if you think you have a good case, give it a shot.
You could be a solo freelancer. If you’re good at your craft and would much rather do that than manage people, then go out on your own as a freelancer. Make sure you have a strong network, let everyone know, and offer your services to companies that need them.
Start freelancing on the side while you have your full-time job. Here are some freelancing tips for beginners.
Here’s another idea for going from a full-time job to freelance. What about half-day full-time job? Worked for me.
You could find a partner (if you’re a writer, find a designer) and open a small agency. Get a few contractors or freelancers on your team, and you have all the services of a larger agency, but much more agile.
Here’s how I found a partner to start my first agency.
You could find a small agency and see whether they need another partner. You might be a great addition to the team. Maybe you could help them attract bigger, better clients. Perhaps you have some clients who would follow you to the new agency. You’ll likely get a lower salary, but also a percentage of the profits as a bonus. That could work.
You could launch a product or service. If you’ve ever had a great idea for a product, maybe now is the time. How long were you going to sit on your idea? There’s lots of information out there on how to launch your product or service.
You could change careers or retire. You’ve been making big bucks for years, right? Hopefully, you’ve saved some of that so that you can try a completely different career or retire from work altogether. Open a restaurant, a bookstore, buy a farm, retire to a country where life is cheap… now it’s time to live your dream.
In Your 30s? Start Planning Now
Life goes by quickly. Create a plan that you can start while you have a job. Talk to friends and colleagues, take notes.
Building something new takes time and planning. It’s much easier while you have a job and someone else is paying your salary.
Also, start saving money. I know, easier said than done, but once you’re on your own, you’ll want a cushion of money in the bank. Start saving now.
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If you’re thinking of your own agency, you’ll want to read How to Start a Successful Creative Agency. Available at Amazon(Paperback & Kindle ebook), Kobo(ebook), Apple Books (ebook), and Gumroad(PDF).
What Worked For Me
In my mid-30s, after 10 years of copywriting at agencies, I started freelancing solo. In my early 40s, I found a partner and started an agency. It began with the two of us, and within five years grew to 30. It was then acquired by a multi-national IT company.
Six months later, with another partner, I started a second agency. Again, the agency grew, and after 15 years, I retired, selling my shares to my two partners.
So, for me, it was 10 years employed by agencies, six years freelancing, and 20 years being a founder/partner at two agencies.
It wasn’t all carefully planned. There were lots of “happy accidents” along the way. Watch my guest appearance on the Happy Accidents Podcast with Dennis Geelen for all my stories, bumps in the road, and tips on how I made happy accidents work for me.
Testimonial: Your Content Rocks
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I launched my agency in 2019 just before Covid struck, which was timely! I made so many of the mistakes highlighted in your book before I had your book!
Your content rocks, thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Roza Delespierre, Digital Brand Strategist, Paris
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