If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be leading operations at a social media and PR agency, I’d have asked if you’d mixed up your acronyms because back then, RTB, QBR, and EOP might as well have been types of frame moulding.
Before joining Tangerine, I worked in manufacturing for an e-commerce business making custom picture frames. It was fast-paced, demanding, and all about precision, logistics, and people — a team of 40, to be exact. I loved it, but I wanted something new. Something creative. Something with more memes in the group chat.
So, I made the leap.
The learning curve? Steep. Everything seemed to have its own acronym, people casually dropped terms I’d never heard of, and the pace was relentless — but so was the energy. What surprised me most was how welcoming everyone was. There was no “agency snobbery” or judgement that I didn’t come from a traditional background. People were genuinely curious about my perspective. They listened.
And that’s the beauty of being a career changer.
Coming from outside the agency bubble meant I could stay calm under pressure, approach problems from different angles, and see the bigger picture when others were deep in the detail. Manufacturing gave me a thick skin, a love of process, and a weirdly strong appreciation for a good stock control system. This all turns out to be very handy when you’re managing agency timesheets, rolling out AI tools, building quotes, or assisting with procurement for a 100-person agency.
Now, as Senior Operations Manager at Tangerine, I get to work on exciting projects with some of the most talented and creative people I’ve ever met. And I’ve had a lot of fun doing it. I’m proud of how I’ve embedded myself in this world, and even prouder to now be helping others do the same. Through my role as a lead tutor for The Juice Academy and our plans for a learning hub, we’re working to open the door for more people looking to make a change.
As an industry, we need to start seeing career changers not as a risk but as a massive opportunity. These are people who bring a breadth of real-world experience, battle-tested problem-solving skills, and fresh ways of thinking that challenge the status quo. Whether it’s managing people, planning logistics, or navigating high-pressure environments, career changers arrive with skills that agencies need – they just happen to come from a different background. And that difference is often where the magic happens.
If you’re sitting in a job you’ve outgrown, wondering if you’re “too far gone” to jump into a creative industry — trust me, you’re not. If you’ve got a bit of a creative spark, a hunger to learn, and the humility to ask questions (even the ‘stupid’ ones), the industry is more open than you think.
Take the leap. You can figure it out as you go and if you’re honest about what you don’t know, you’ll always find people who’ll help you learn.
