$$$ vs creative
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- duhsign0
i suggest you learn to rap
- scrap_paper0
Every piece of work you do or job you take is leverage. Do a little strategy. What are the pros/cons of each direction?
Does taking the creatively weak higher paying gig really hurt you in the long run from a creative stand point?
Does taking the more creative gig hurt you in the long run from a financial standpoint?
- freedom0
could the creative job give you a better portfolio and better opportunities in the future?
if so, do it, its investing
- tOki0
"I need to choose between a less exciting, more secure wife and a younger mistress that will offer more challenging and creative sex.
What would you do?"
- jamesomega0
Pftt, people say that money doesn't buy you happiness obviously don't know where to shop.
- autoflavour0
for those who care, Don Draper yelled at clients and generally acted like a tool.. also paid for sex.. what the fuck is happening in Season 4?
anyway, hope that helps you with your 1st world problem
- duhsign0
I made the same decision almost a year ago. unstable agency work vs cushy corporate. At the time I was driving 3 hrs every day to a freelance gig after 1.5 years of being underemplyed. Before that I was at an agency for 5 years. On one hand I was worried about the agency work because all the local agencies were still recovering from '08, there is more turnover in agencies and a year ago the job market was non-existent. On the other corporate was a little daunting knowing there was a chance I would have nothing to show for it in my book.
Took the corporate job. Its cushy. I miss making cool stuff and having creative freedom. Planning an exit strategy : )
My 2 cents is to think about how the position will fit into your overall story. Thats what really counts. For instance my corpo gig is for a newly spun off global medtech company. The story part for me is helping to create a new brand for a company who's products are saving lives every second of every day. I have managed to get some work through I might include in my book and I'm definitely motivated to get back into the game so to speak.
If u dont have kids yet and your wife is hip to you doing it take the creative route. Focus on making solid connections with some good people and save the cushy boring stuff for when you are ready to have kiddos.
- jimbojones0
do the money job now, it's not like you're a slave for the rest of your life. when you can afford to quit for something more fun, just do it. and cheat on your wife.
- mikotondria30
Do the money job.
It's amazing how creative you can feel with a bit of cash to burn.
It's not surprising how uncreative you can get when you're hurting for every penny, debt collectors are calling and you don't know how you're gonna stop your electric getting cut off.
There's no heroism to being a starving artist, it's 2011 - do stuff and gets paid, creative or not. Bottom line is bottom line.
See if you don't like the money gig, but turn it down after knowing what it can do for you.
Being poor is a waste of your time.
- pauliusuza0
Or better of, take the money job and do work as creatively as possible thus by improving the company from inside.
- Then when you get fired for it - start your own businesspauliusuza
- lexicon0
Creative. Half or more of the people in this industry are robots who either never were creative or they have had it beaten out of them. Got to make sacrifices to do what you love.
- I feel most creative when I check my bank accountpauliusuza
- formed0
Depends on what the extremes are.
High Paying gig - if it is simply boring, but you get paid 50% more, then you can enjoy your money more, you will be loved more and you can find personal projects to express your own ideas
Creative gig - if it truly lets you do whatever, the other people working there are exceptional and will, as a team, help you excel, resulting in a super portfolio down the road.
BUT it needs to be an investment to really be worth it, not just 'fun'.Portfolio - how is your portfolio? Will it benefit greatly from the creative work or will it just be a basic evolution?
Future - where you work now will determine what your opportunities are later on. If the pay difference is 10-15% that's not much, but if it is a HUGE then you have a tough choice.
- jamesomega0
Go for money.
Use said earned money to fund the creative.
- randommail0
Always focus on the creative. The money will grow with the portfolio over time. You can always parlay your good work into a new better paying job in a couple of years.
But if you go with the money now and neglect your portfolio, you'll end up creating your own glass ceiling.
- I'm not sure I agree with this. I know plenty of extremely talented people who are poor.Josev
- Well, nothing in life is guaranteed.
But do you know wealthy designers with shitty portfolios?randommail - Yes, I do know wealthy designers with crappy portfolios.Josev
- So it's more likely to get paid well with a shitty portfolio than a good portfolio. OK. thanks for playing.randommail
- I didnt say that. I do think the people who are better self-promoters are the most successful. And it often has less to do with their design abilities.Josev
- less to do with their design ability, unfortunately.Josev
- nawdansion0
my clients force me to give shit works, they dont care about if the work look great or not, is a shity situation for me, I want give good sites... but they want shit in short times... they pay for that.
- cramdesign0
Dude. There are so many factors here... only you can answer this one. Does the creative one pay enough to meet your responsibilities? If no, then that's not even an option. Problem solved. Could you make the better paying one more creative? Creative is an approach. You can find creative solutions to "boring" problems... if you are creative. Or do you mean that you would be the lackey to some asshole. If that is the case, screw that. Your credibility, self esteem and dignity are worth more than a little money.
Some things to remember... There is no such thing as real security. YOU are your security. Be excellent at what you are doing and that is as close as you can get. Second, you can leave either when you want. You're in control here. (well, mostly) Third. Choose the one that makes you happiest... not most "creative" or best paid.
- neonspice0
I'm glad someone asked this coz I was just about to ask the same.
- freedom0
money doesn't equal success.