deathcabforcosta asked: Is being a designer in advertising really as stressful, and time consuming as people make it sound? One of my professors urged all of my classmate to stay away from it if we can because you'll never have a free moment.. but its something that interests me... thoughts?

ABSOLUTELY.

It’s fast paced and high stress. Sure, your instructor is correct. Stay away from it… But, it builds a lot of character. When I first started in the agency (1.5years ago) I was fresh, passionate and craved to do design 24/7. Over the last year or so, I became smart. Established my own voice and adaptive style in design. I have learned a lot about the industry. I’ve learned what NOT to do when it comes to design and I’ve learned to definitely stand up for my own decisions.

Intern at an agency. See how they do things. Get a job at one and tough it out for a year. You’ll learn a lot about yourself. After that… Don’t get sucked into the routine… Break away and do your own thing solo or with the people you’ve networked with along the way.