It's just as wide open today as it was in the 60s. If you can think, and if you have enough drive, and if you're just plain lucky enough to be someplace when and where there's a job open, you can get into the advertising business whether your name is Farthington or Fratelli. All you need is a desire to be the best there is and a willingness to work harder than anybody else to get there.
If advertising is beginning to sound like it can be an emotionally trying business, good. It can be. Sometimes it can take its toll on you, both physically and psychologically. This is not to say that a career in advertising guarantees you an ulcer and a seat at the local Alcoholics' Anonymous meetings, but if you're looking for a nice, safe, secure job, look into teaching or a job with a labor union. Better yet, marry into a rich family so you don't have to worry about working at all, because you won't find security in advertising, no matter where in the field you work.
One thing you might find in advertising, though, is the need to relocate. And relocating is a discussion in itself.
New York City is the center of the advertising business. If you work in a New York advertising agency, you can change jobs without changing business addresses. There are more agencies and more different kinds of agencies on the Island of Manhattan than there are in any other city in the world. There are agencies that have built their reputations through creative excellence; agencies that have made their names through marketing, media, or research; agencies that specialize in liquor advertising, agricultural advertising, direct mail advertising, direct response advertising, medical and pharmaceutical advertising, retail advertising, and even motion picture advertising.
New York also has all the businesses that support agencies. Some of the best film and video-tape production companies are in New York. So are some of the top radio production companies, and many of the best music production houses. New York has plenty of art studios, typesetters, photostat houses, and possibly more top-flight illustrators and photographers than you'll find in any other single place on the face of the earth.
Whether you're trying to get your first job in advertising or finding a new one because you left your old one, you can enjoy a very long and lucrative advertising career without ever going west of the George Washington Bridge for a job.
Does this mean that in order to get into advertising you have to go to New York? Not necessarily.
Since there are more agencies in New York than there are anyplace else, it stands to reason that there are more advertising jobs in New York than there are anyplace else. But there are opportunities in other cities with strong advertising communities, such as Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and Dallas, to name a few. All are replete with agencies, plus production companies, typesetters, and all the other industries that support agencies. So it follows that you can also enjoy a very long and lucrative career in advertising without ever going east of the George Washington Bridge for a job.
However, not all of those other centers have an abundance of highly successful agencies, so if you want to work in "good shops" but don't want to work in New York, you may be forced to move to another city every time you decide to change jobs.
If you come from a small town, moving might be the only way you can get into advertising in the first place, not because small towns don't have any decent agencies, but because you might discover you can learn more in an agency that isn't in your home town than you could in one that is.
If you've moved away from home to go to school, you already know what it's like. If you're single, moving can be a ball: you get to see the country, learn about different life styles, and meet different kinds of people. But that kind of lifestyle isn't for everyone.
Moving around can be hard if you have children. True, they do get to see different parts of the country and learn to deal with all kinds of people, but they'll also have to change schools, leave their old friends, and make new ones.
And whether you have a family or not, you'll find that moving around prevents you from developing roots anywhere. You'll be away from your family, friends, and the place where you grew up. These aren't problems for some people, but others can't handle it.
Why mention these drawbacks? Because when you're not happy with your life, it's hard to stay at top performance level. And staying "up" is critically important for someone just starting out in advertising. So give careful consideration to whether or not you want to move during your career.
If you want a career on the advertiser side of the business, odds are you will become well-acquainted with all of the moving companies. Why? Because there is no advertiser center. The major advertisers are spread out all across the country: some of these companies are in New York, some in Atlanta, some in St. Louis. If you want to work for them, a move will likely be in order. Another move might be involved if you ever decide to change jobs. And if you ever grow into a position of responsibility with any multi-million dollar advertiser, you take it for granted that travel will be a part of conducting business.
Some major advertisers are in small towns. In fact, you might even find one in your home town, and you won't have to move at all if you do. At least not until you decide you want to work someplace else.
