It’s not so bad on the “dark side.” In fact, it’s pretty wonderful. My career that led me to Metis had a trajectory that wouldn’t surprise too many folks in the industry -- a decade in news, a move to communications/PR in-house, then to an agency. There are tons of reasons I’m thrilled to be a part of Metis, but the fact that I am challenged every single day is definitely the No. 1 reason.
I was looking specifically for a remote role because my husband is an officer in the Marine Corps and I wanted a job that I could “take with me” rather than start over each time we moved. Before joining Metis, I was scared that remote work would be boring. I’m not exactly the kind of person who enjoys a slow pace. I had resigned myself to the fact that I’d be able to do OK work and that was it. Wow, was I wrong.
Here are just a few reasons why I find agency work more challenging and rewarding than being in-house -- and why you should give it a go:
You’re forced out of your comfort zone (and you learn to like it).
Much like my reporter-turned-PR pro transition was somewhat predictable, so was my college swimmer-turned-triathlete journey. There’s a terribly overused (albeit incredibly accurate) saying in this community: “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” It’s a simple as that. Regardless of how hard you train, if you’re doing it right, an IronMan will NEVER be comfortable. But it’s rewarding and empowering in remarkable ways.
I love that agency work takes me out of my comfort zone. I’ve learned to become comfortable with being uncomfortable on a near daily basis. Being out of your comfort zone doesn’t mean painful -- it’s just different. It might force you to think differently, or to look at a particular opportunity through your clients’ lens vs. your own. What it really comes down to is being comfortable with new things and willing to learn. Always.
You’re given professional development opportunities (even when you don’t realize it).
When you’re in-house (particularly at a large organization with a large, hybrid comms/marketing department), everyone stays in their own lanes. If you’re on the PR/media relations side of the house, chances are you might never meaningfully interact with the marketing team aside from all-hands meetings once a month.
At Metis, our director of marketing works alongside our core teams to make marketing recommendations for our clients. By working with her, I receive hands-on professional development in topics like content marketing and how a client’s blog post cadence can translate to increased sales leads just throughout the course of doing my job -- no expensive conference required. And she’s always there to answer questions (much like our VP of content is for folks looking for some writing or content development growth).
You enjoy (and learn to cherish) the diversity of your clients and their industries.
Our martech/adtech practice at Metis is incredible and chock full of talent, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. But it’s not exactly something I thought I’d be doing this time last year. And that’s part of the fun of diversifying your knowledge and your skill set. In addition to madtech, Metis boasts a healthy healthcare/medtech practice, along with rich experience repping clients in the fields of security and storage, AI, IoT, SaaS, vehicle electrification, angel investing, project management and more. In other words, there’s something for everyone.
Are you ready to do the best, most creative and challenging work of your career? We’re always looking for sharp, kickass team members. Drop us a line.