Transitioning from Agency Work to Product Development
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After 8 years of working exclusively within the fast-paced world of web development agencies, I found myself at a crossroads that I wasn’t expecting.
An opportunity to join the digital team at Genius Within CIC presented itself, raising questions in my mind around what I wanted from my career.
After careful consideration, I decided to make the jump over to product-side, and in doing so, it has highlighted some differences between the two environments.
Firstly, let's explore what I define as agency versus product.
Agency
To me, an agency is a group of professionals banding together to offer a 360 digital service to their clients. An agency is typically made up of designers, developers, and project managers but can also include people like SEO specialists, account managers, strategy experts, etc. The agency is then hired by multiple clients to provide tailored solutions on a case-by-case basis.
Product
On the other hand, those of us working within the product environment sit on the other side of the fence and are part of an embedded and dedicated team contributing our skills, along with other departments like sales and marketing, to one overarching mission.
Key Differences
Variety
The main difference between the two ways of working is the variety. Within an agency setup, you can be working on multiple projects at any one time. At the last agency I worked at, Liquid Light, we would typically have 4-5 new projects on the go as well as around 50 existing clients most of which were working with us on a monthly retainer basis. This was great because it gave me exposure to various organisations, projects, and technologies.
In contrast, working product-side means you are focusing on one organisation and mission. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have variety in your work; for example, at Genius Within CIC, there are 4 digital platforms that sit within our remit. However, it does mean there is far less context switching. Focusing your efforts on the one organisation gives you more space and time to look at things at a holistic level and allows you to be more direct with your decision-making.
Pace
Closely aligned with the difference in variety, the pace of work can also differ.
Agencies that offer a retainer service to existing clients will sell a certain amount of working hours per month. Looking at Liquid Light as an example, if 50 retainer clients each booked 4 hours of work per month, that would give you roughly 5 weeks' worth of work straight away. That time would be split between designers, developers, or whoever was needed to complete the work, but when you couple that with 4-5 ongoing new projects, the days and weeks start to look pretty busy.
Some people thrive in this type of environment, but this pace can be hard to keep up with if you’re not used to it. After 8 years, I became pretty good at context switching and managing my time under pressure however, this wasn’t always the case in the earlier years.
In contrast, in a product development environment, you are no longer selling your time, which gives you more control in terms of setting the pace at which you work. Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot going on, and there are deadlines to hit however, in my experience, the time-tracking pressure of retainer work is reduced.
Engagement
Now, I'm slightly less convinced on this point. If the right culture is baked into the agency, you will take on your clients' missions as if they were your own. But this isn’t always the case.
There is also a different level of engagement when you're working for the organisation building the product(s). What I mean is, if the product(s) you are working on fail to succeed, it could pose a risk to the organisation you're part of, potentially having an impact on your employment.
Does this added pressure increase the quality of your output? I’m not too sure, but it’s certainly in the back of my mind.
Conclusion
Switching from agency to product-side work has been a transformational process that has seen changes throughout my working ecosystem, and it is something you have to approach with an open mind and a desire to shift the way you work and think.
Both agency and product environments offer unique benefits, and I believe it’s important to utilise these at various stages of your career.
If I could advise my younger self, I’d say: Start in an agency setting, where you can earn your stripes by diving into a wide variety of projects. This will help you build a broad skill set and gain diverse experiences in multiple industries. Then, once you’ve reached a certain level of expertise, consider transitioning to product-side, where you can focus deeply on a particular area, refine your skills, and take your career to the next level.
Lastly, no matter if you are junior or senior, working in agency or product, it is important to seize opportunities and push yourself out of your comfort zone when the time feels right, as these are the moments where you will likely take the largest steps forward.