5 NerdWallet creatives on agency life vs. in-house
Theodore Roosevelt once said that comparison is the thief of joy, but he never worked in advertising
As ad folks, we ask ourselves questions every day. Do these colors complement each other? Is this headline too cheesy? Will my parents ever forgive me for not becoming an engineer? But perhaps no question is as hotly debated in the ad world as this one: Should I work at an agency or in-house? As with most questions in advertising, the answer isn’t clear-cut.
We posed this age-old dilemma to five members of NerdWallet’s brand studio team, our very own in-house creative cohort. BST is made up of nearly 50 designers and copywriters from all kinds of backgrounds — including former agency creatives. While we’re all in-house now, no one career path is inherently better than another, and success doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.
Read on to learn about our different journeys and how we each made the shift from agency life to in-house. We hope these insights prove useful to others navigating their own adventures in advertising.
The crew
Emily Hsiao, Visual Design Director
Charlene Tsang, Visual Design Manager
Jay Borrelli, Sr. Visual Designer
Justin Sanders, Content Strategy Manager
Laura Orozco, Lead Content Strategist
Q&A
What are some key differences between working at an agency and working in-house?
Emily: I loved working in an agency environment earlier in my career because it exposed me to a variety of industries, different types of campaigns, and pitching to clients. I loved juggling multiple projects and brands at once, and I learned a ton in a fast-paced environment. Being in-house now, I love being immersed in not only a brand, but in a team and the culture of the company. I love being able to learn from the creative, continue to iterate, and constantly move the brand forward.
Charlene: I had a great start to my career at an agency, where I had the chance to work with a variety of clients across different industries. The experience helped me improve my foundational design skills, sharpen my conceptual thinking, and build a strong portfolio in a fast-paced environment. It also let me explore different areas of design and creativity and helped me focus on where I wanted my career to go. As I started working in-house, it has allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the brand and see the impact of my work on its performance, which has given me a greater sense of satisfaction and pride in my work. I also appreciate the opportunity to shape and develop the brand and highlight company values.
Jay: When I look back at my experience, the biggest difference between the two is how much time you have to focus on a single brand or project. When I worked in the agency world, I felt like I was splitting my brain up across clients and projects and giving each of them a percentage of my time and effort. As I’ve moved in-house, I’ve learned to love growing a single brand over time through continued experimentation.
Justin: First and foremost, the work-life balance. When I was just starting out, I was more than happy to work nights and weekends for an agency and jump all-in for a pitch. Now that I’m older and have a family, I have other priorities. I still care about my work deeply, but I am able to do fulfilling work during normal working hours.
One of the biggest differences is that all of a sudden you’re not pitching work to a stranger, but you’re working with “the client” to come up with work together. There’s so much more collaboration, and I’ve learned so much about the strategic side of things thanks to amazing brand partners.
The snacks are roughly the same at both. Perhaps slightly better coffee in-house.
Laura: For me, the biggest difference has been that in-house, my creative opinion has carried more weight. Often when you’re at an agency, the client will get the final say, from the concept chosen for a campaign to whether or not we use the Oxford comma. In-house, I am the client, so not only am I able to make a recommendation on which concept we choose, I’m asked to make that recommendation — and most of the time, that’s the concept that ultimately gets greenlit. Of course, there are always exceptions, and we’re a team here, so I try to listen to others’ opinions just as much or even more than I express my own. But I’ve loved the experience of having more input over the work I create. Nine days out of ten, the work I envision in my mind is the work I actually end up making.
What attracted you to an in-house position in the first place?
Emily: It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part, but rather a new opportunity I found interesting that happened to be in-house. I didn’t know what the differences would be between agency and in-house or how that would shape my career moving forward. What I love about the design community nowadays is that you can learn from others’ experiences and use that knowledge to help inform your own decisions. I have that support system now, and I hope sharing my experiences can help someone else on their journey.
Charlene: I’m passionate about data-driven design, and working in-house allows me to access more information about data and performance, which is exciting for me as it enables me to constantly optimize the creative based on solid learnings. Working in-house aligns with my passions and the career path I am pursuing. In general, I also look for companies (whether in-house or agencies) that value work-life balance and care about the mental well-being of their employees.
Jay: In-house feels more like a team sport. In traditional ad agencies, there’s a competitive spirit to always be on the coolest project or making the most interesting work. I’m someone who really likes collaborating with other people, and the move to in-house put me around folks working toward similar goals.
Laura: I loved a lot of things about my previous agency job, but one thing that was a bit frustrating was that every time I felt like I finally started to become an expert on something — whether it was preventing drunk driving or expanding access to health care or fighting internet fraud — it was on to the next thing. I wanted to become an expert in something and work to learn, grow, and improve over time. Working in-house has given me the opportunity to do just that.
What would you tell others making the transition from agency to in-house? What would you tell yourself prior to making the shift?
Justin: Be prepared to change your mindset about pretty much everything. Your coworkers are your teammates, not your competition. The client actually has good points if you take away some ego and listen. You will not be stuck only doing banner ads; there is so much unseen opportunity when you come in-house. People actually care about your career path, and there’s so much room to grow.
Laura: What Justin said. I was at my previous agency job for six years, so starting over in a completely different environment was a huge learning curve. It was like going from being a senior in high school to a freshman in college. You think you know everything and everyone knows who you are, and then your parents drop you off at your dorm, and you realize you don’t know anyone or anything at all. But it’s ok, because you’re about to learn so much stuff and meet some of the coolest people you’ve ever met.
Emily: There’s no right or wrong track to be on, and not all career paths are linear. I feel lucky to have experienced both — I’ve gained valuable experiences from every step of my career. If you don’t know where you’d rather be, that’s ok, and it’s also ok to change your mind. Plenty of creatives will go from agency to in-house back to agency, and vice versa. It’s impossible to know exactly what you want or how your career will turn out. As long as you’re learning and growing along the way, and in a supportive environment, that’s all that matters!
Jay: Big agree with Emily — it all comes down to personal preference, and I’d encourage folks who are curious about both to try both. I’ve learned valuable skills in both settings, and although I don’t see myself going back agency-side anytime soon, I’ll never say never!
What were some things that surprised you or that you didn’t expect when you started working in-house?
Charlene: I was surprised that the work environment is actually very fast-paced. We consistently launch a variety of projects — social videos, landing pages, TV commercials — every quarter! I’m grateful that as a manager, I still have the opportunity to do hands-on work with the team, which allows me to find new inspiration in each project. I am pleasantly surprised to find that I am learning more than just design and branding in my current role, such as knowledge of financial products.
Justin: That creativity is still valued. I love being able to surprise coworkers with ideas they don’t expect. The experience you get from agencies truly teaches you to think outside the box all the time, and in-house people really value that kind of thinking.
I was also surprised at how quickly things change in-house and how much I loved this new work environment.
What are some misconceptions agency folks in general might have about in-house, and vice versa?
Charlene: I think many people may have misconceptions about in-house design being dull, as they may assume that companies prioritize performance and numbers over strong design and culture. I can say this is not the case at NerdWallet.
Justin: You’re not just going to be doing email and banner ads. Sure, that’s a part of it, but there are a ton of creative opportunities that remain. You’re also going to learn so much more than just how to pitch big ideas and TV work. You start to see the whole spectrum of a brand rather than just one tiny part of it.
Speaking of brand, you will never feel closer to a brand than when you come in-house. The brand voice becomes second nature, and you can start to recognize when something is off and when something is in the sweet spot.
Laura: Agency folks tend to think that life in-house has a slower pace, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, at least at NerdWallet. I’ve never worked in a more dynamic environment than I have here — every day it feels like I’m learning to flex a new mental muscle. That said, while things move fast during working hours, one thing that’s really nice about being in-house is that when I’m offline for the day, I’m offline, and people respect that. Like others have mentioned, the work-life balance in-house has definitely been a welcome change from agency life.
What were some early lessons you learned at your first in-house position? If you’re a seasoned in-house creative, what are some lessons you’ve learned after several years working in-house?
Jay: How you work with others is just as important as the work you make.
Laura: I totally agree, Jay. Another thing I’ve been learning is that not everything has to be rushed. It’s ok to let things sit and steep and marinate. At agencies, everything is a fire drill, but in-house, timelines can be a bit more flexible, so I’ve been trying to change my mindset and give my work the time it deserves, so it can be the best it can be. I’ve found that some of my best ideas come late in the game.
Justin: At this point, I’m on my fourth in-house gig, and there are things to learn from everyone. You get to really understand your coworkers and how each company works. You develop a true passion for the brand and get personally invested. There are also so many opportunities that come up to learn new things that aren’t the traditional advertising channels. I would have never thought one of the most rewarding projects I’d have was writing the “about us” section of our website, but I learned so much!
My writing skills have also improved dramatically. I don’t just think in one-liners anymore. I used to think copy was good because it was funny. Now, I understand that funny is one thing — but smart is so much stronger.
In approximately 7 words or less, give some advice to an agency creative about to start their first in-house gig.
Justin: We’re all on the same team now. Welcome.
Laura: Chill out. Ask questions. Have fun.
Charlene: Learn, grow, and have fun together!
Jay: Bring big ideas. Have fun with it.
Emily: Be yourself, have fun, eat snacks! 🌭
Want to be part of a team that writes about stuff like this? Check out open roles in Design + User Experience at NerdWallet.
