10 Lessons from a Career in Advertising
Lessons from Advertising Career Towards the end of my 19th year in this world, I found myself trying to sell the most awful copy test (a set of lateral thinking problems agencies used to test a person’s ability to approach advertising briefs) to Johannesburg’s advertising industry. Of course, I thought I was a genius and I couldn’t understand why nobody was clambering to hire me. That’s when I learned my first lesson: 1: You’re not as good as you sometimes think you are. Imagine that. I was learning, and I hadn’t even got in yet. A very kind headhunter took pity on me and tried to find me a gig. I held on to a belief deep inside me, that I did have what it takes, but I just needed the right environment to prove myself. Of course, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was right. Talent is nothing without the right environment - the right coaching and the right inspiration. Because you know - 2: Success never happens in a vacuum. Lesson 2, done and dusted and I haven’t even ...