NORTHERN PLANNER

It's common for folks in this industry to incrediby cynical and have a good moan.

A common source of conversation revolves around how things were better back in the day.

You know, the days before procurement, when life was simple and clients just wanted ads, everyone got to do TV, when creativity flourished, when everybody was paid squillions and Martin Sorrell was just an FD.

To be honest, it's a common symptom in life. The golden age, that happened to be the one you grew up in, the simple fact that the perfectly brilliant stuff in our everyday goes unnoticed, the truth that we take stuff for granted.

The truth is, there are lots of things now that are better than they were, in life and in this industry. Here's a few:

1. I'm (just) old enough to remember having to fax artwork and documents to clients,I can remember messing around with films and chromalins and what a ball ache it was getting stuff to the press and editing telly. All that pain is gone, everything can be shared and edited with a few clicks.
2. The hours are generally better. This will never be a 9-5 job, but the days when it was accepted everyone worked ball shattering hours no matter what they had on are going. It still varies by agency, but in general, if you want a more equitable work life balance, you can find one.
3. It's much less macho. There are more women at all levels, they are treated properly and they are great. It's fantastic for the culture you work in and the quality of the work, thanks to a generally more rounded point of view.
4. It's not just a young man's game anymore. Young people are always celebrated, and rightly so, they bring new thinking and ideas, but it seems that it's much less likely you'll be consigned to the dustbin when you hit forty. Experience and maturity is cherished more than it once was.
5. Variety. There are so many kinds of outfits now, you can always try something new, it's harder to get your head around everything, but there's a lot more to go at.
6. The rise of globalisation means you can work anywhere. Never has there been such scope to travel. If you have a decent track record, you can take it anywhere.
7. Agencies have had to grow up. They're not as indulged as they were. Thankfully, we'll always have colourful and interesting people, but bad behaviour, tolerated sexism and bullying and general indulgence of  prima donnas is a lot less than it once was.
8. Blogs, twitter and stuff. Never has there been more information available to so many to help them do the job better. Of course, if we're all looking at the same stuff, being better get's hard, but the other beauty of the internet is that there are far more places to fish.
9. The onset of digital and social media charlatans make it easier to look good if our okay at the job and have an ounce of common sense.
10. Emails and general digital stuff make is easier to work anywhere. This has never been a desk job and while the new office balls and chains might be feel constricting, the connectedness means you can get out and meet real people and work in other environments more often.
11. Laptops, the web, social media etc. It's distracting at times, but it's also easier to look like you're working when you're not.
12. The rise of all users not only knit cultures, they give people with little self awareness the opportunity to hang themselves in public. 
13. Emails also give folks who can't resist being nasty and talk behind people's backs on email the chance to crash their careers by clicking reply instead of send.
14. The end of company car removes the shame of being famous for being the worst driver in your agency (personal one that).
15. The erosion of agency drinking culture removes the real possibilty of career threatening dancing, too much honesty or romantic overtures.