Hi guys. As a graphic designer, I am currently in the middle of job hunting. Chinese New Year, you know.

So, I am offered this job in a fairly large 4A Accredited advertising agency specializing in property and branding.

So has any of you guys worked in such agency before? How is it like compare to working in other agencies or in-house, in-terms of work-life balance, office culture/politics or any crazy experience there.

The thing is I am currently working in a small agency with about just a 9 people. Everything is fast and furious here(brief in the morning, FA in the evening), but the colleagues here are lovely. Its just that I am quite daunted to venture into a new enviroment, facing odds of having some hellish art directors or boss.



*4A
https://aaaa.org.my/

Speak from experience, agency A, agency B, agency C, but each agency with a different culture. To have work-life balance is quite difficult to find in the advertising field.

Agency -
U learn more/faster since there r alot seniors with different strengths, but when more ppl, politics appear. U got more chances to climb higher position.

crazy experience - when staying office for almost a week. The moment you walking up to the stage to collect ur trophy

In house -
Normally '1 leg kick', u need to do everything. Since ppl r less compare to the agency, politics lesser.


Don't stay too long in 1 company, u wont have a significant increase on ur pay.
Important to learn how to work with different people, then u r cool in every company u join.

I find that people who eat, breathe, sleep advertising do very well and thrive in 4As agency. So that means you rarely have a life outside of work as you are pouring everything, your passion, even your time even outside of work, into the current project. I mean, you can still get away with working the 9-6 and have a life, but it will still look like you're not doing enough to contribute to the project.

But honestly if you have the chance, you should do it while you are young and have the energy. The experience you'll get is is really quite something else, and you could always take that experience to a smaller agency with more work-life balance.