How to choose between agency and in-house roles

As a first-generation college graduate with no connections in the communications and public relations industry, figuring out my path was challenging. Do I apply to a boutique agency? A mid-size or large firm? Or one of the countless companies with in-house communications teams?

Now, almost a decade into my career, I have experience at agencies of all sizes—from Olson, to Ruder Finn, Edelman and Weber Shandwick. And for the past nearly three years, I have been working in-house, at OkCupid and now LinkedIn.

As an instructor at New York University, I am constantly asked by students if agency or in-house in the path to follow. So I reflected on my own experiences, and tapped my network of communicators around the world. Here’s what they said:

1. There are a lot of foundational skills to be learned at an agency.

If I could restart my career, I’d still begin at a communications agency. Agencies taught me client management, influencer marketing, media relations, project management, time management, networking, and all the tactical skills needed to thrive—from building a media list to crafting a story for press to drafting a press release to reporting.