Career Advice: 28 Is Not Too Old for the Creative Industry

In the latest Creative Career Conundrums column from If You Could Jobs, a 28-year-old graphic designer working at a marketing agency for three years expresses concern about being too old to pursue a bigger dream in the creative industry. The designer feels their current work is not cool and that they lack portfolio material due to nine-to-five constraints. Kat Wong, founder of career change platform Oh Yeah and former Apple employee who left at age 47, reassures that 28 is not too old. She emphasizes that the experience gained—functional expertise, workflow knowledge, and teamwork skills—is valuable to recruiters. Wong advises using social media to demonstrate creative taste, as agencies often have NDAs preventing public portfolio work. She suggests strategically targeting agencies that can nurture creative development as stepping stones. The column is part of a weekly series from If You Could Jobs, the jobs board from It's Nice That, featuring advice from a panel of creative professionals.