From Nothing To Advertising

I have always had a thing for advertising. When I was a lot younger, my father was a subscriber of TIME magazines. And my older sister, of course, like the rest of the flock her age that time, never missed a single edition of seventeen. What I liked most from those magazines were the ads in them. I spent vast amount of times studying the harmony of the copy and image in the ads, and admiring the ideas that fueled such ads. I still do such a thing up to now. Of course, my current selections have a wider range than the likes of seventeen. I’ve also developed a collection of gigabytes of downloaded TV ads.

Being an ignorant brat, I never had the idea of subscribing into more advertising material major in college. All I knew was that advertising was merely a hobby. Naturally, after graduating, I ended up being an AE in a non-ad-related company. Even when I resigned from that company, I ended up working in another non-ad-related one. Then it hit me, after more than 3 years of half-hearted working, that I didn’t enjoy what I was doing then. Of course, as an AE I enjoyed meeting new people, bla bla bla. But I didn’t like the industry I was in. Consultations with friends, asking some “what-if”s about my chance of applying to advertising industry resulted in some confidence degradation. Mine. They told me that it would be very difficult to be accepted in a good ad agency if you don’t have any agency background. Or you’ll have to start from the very beginning, as a trainee. Well, I was willing to settle for less payment or lower position, but by the age of 27, you wouldn’t want to be a trainee.

Determined to try my luck, I did apply to some agencies, big, medium and small ones. All said no. Either it was that I lacked of the character they were looking for in a candidate, or that they were having zero recruitment, OR, that I didn’t have any agency background. The mantra.

However, less than a month ago, an agency called and asked me for an interview session. Good thing people in this company don’t care about prior experience as much as those in other agencies do (though I can’t blame them for having such a thought. It’s just natural). I spoke with the HR director, and all she ever cared in people she recruit were their passion about advertising, people-skill, and properly functioning right and left brain (doesn’t matter which side dominates which, depending on the position applied). 3 interviews undergone (the furthest step I’ve ever been involved with an agency), and they handed me a contract letter saying I’ll be starting by Sept 1^st. As my pen was put to the paper, a dream has also been fulfilled. My agency background is going from zero to leo.

So, to whoever thinking of switching jobs to a different role, to abroad, to a different industry, or simply having a dream, don’t let naysayers bully you by saying you can’t do it, or you’re just to old to start over, or you’re too young, or you simply doesn’t fit. Atomic bombs, planes, electricity, and computers are things that were first built by ideas.

“…everything is just an imagination away…”

PS: the switch punished me with a decrease in both financial matter, and position in the corporate hierarchy. But hey, an arrow has to be pulled to gather power before it can blast in full speed ahead, perfectly aimed to target