From Praveen Vaidyanathan at Saatchi & Saatchi New York, quoting Russell Davies.
THE BEST REASONS FOR STARTING IN ADVERTISING ARE THE COUNTLESS OPPORTUNITIES YOU'VE MADE FOR YOURSELF WHEN YOU LEAVE. ITS LIKE A GATEWAY DRUG FOR INTERESTING JOBS; A NEVER-ENDING, ALWAYS -CHANGING TRAINING SCHEME, YOU'RE CONSTANTLY MOVING FROM ONE CLIENT, ONE PROBLEM, ONE OPPORTUNITY, TO ANOTHER.
NO PROJECT EVER LASTS THAT LONG, YOU RARELY DO EXACTLY THE SAME THING TWICE AND YOU BUMP INTO ALL SORTS OF OTHER EXPERTS, INDUSTRIES AND PROFESSIONS.
BUT ALL THIS FLITTING FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHER ISN'T JUST POINTLESS DILETTANTISM, YOU'RE BUILDING UP A TREMENDOUS BODY OF EXPERIENCE; EXPERTISE IN SOME BROADER ENDEAVOUR.
YOU LEARN HOW TO WORK WITH TALENTED ARTISTS AND MONSTROUS EGOS. YOU'RE OBLIGED TO CONSIDER WHAT EVERYONE IN THE COUNTRY MIGHT WANT AND WHAT A FEW CEOS AND CABINET MINISTERS MIGHT WANT. YOU GET GOOD AT EXPLAINING THE COMPLICATED AND THE INTANGIBLE TO THE UNWILLING AND ILL-INFORMED.
YOU COME TO UNDERSTAND THE PECULIAR AND DIFFERENT DEMANDS OF IMAGES AND WORDS, BRIEFS AND IDEAS, TRAFFIC AND PRODUCTION. YOU FIND OUT WHEN TO BRAINSTORM, WHETHER TO WORKSHOP, AND HOW TO TAKE THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL, AND, EVENTUALLY, AT SOME POINT, MOST ADVERTISING PEOPLE TAKE THESE INEFFABLE, UNTEACHABLE SKILLS AND GO AND DO SOMETHING ELSE, THEY PURSUE SOME PRIVATE PASSION OR QUIETER LIFE.
THIS IS TO BE CELEBRATED, AND IS A REASON TO GET A JOB IN ADVERTISING. - RUSSELL DAVIES