High School Musical Too

So, last week, I found out that someone who has had a negative impact on my career has left the company, and I was a little humiliated to find out how happy that made me. I mean, really! I've always complained that her behavior and treatment of people was pretty high schoolish and look at me! Like the wimpy kid that cheers when someone finally beats up the bully.

But in examining my reaction, it occurred to me that, in a lot of ways, ad agencies very much mirror high school. There is definitely a caste system, or at the very least cliques. Once you're branded as one thing, it's nearly impossible to make the switch. (I remember a project manager who wanted to become a writer and believe me, that didn't end well.)

And I bet you could probably match people's current jobs to what they were like in high school.

• Creative Services: These folks were probably either in band and/or the theatre department. I say this as a former and inner creative myself. Definitely my background.
• Client Services: I'm willing to bet these people were the cheer leaders, drill team, jocks and student council members. There's just a ton of skill crossover there.
• Tech: I'm just gonna generalize and say that these people were probably in the Math Club and National Honor Society.

I know we have other departments here, but I don't really have enough exposure to them to make an educated guess.

Of course, having said that, now, like in high school, I don't really fit into any one category and I would suspect that most of the people I respect here, don't either. In high school, I was somewhere between the band geeks, the theatre crowd, the Math Club (believe it or not) and the freaks (I had a thing for boys with long hair). And my current role is so broadly defined that it could encompass anything from cheerleader to chess club to Future Farmers of America.

All I can say though is that I'm greatful to be out of high school and that for the most part, job descriptions and personal backgrounds are where the similarities end.