On Getting Out What You Put In

An interesting debate is going on about portfolio schools, particularly Chicago Portfolio School, over at AgencySpy. You can read up on it here.

I had to chime in because I think the debate ties back to the industry as a whole. You aren't going to get anywhere in this field without passion. Without drive. My response to the comment thread is below:

I attended CPS in 2006. Was it the perfect program? No. Was it perfect for me? Yes.

Any portfolio school operates on the principle that you'll get out of it what you put into it. And if you choose to forgo portfolio school, that same principle applies.

My quarter at CPS had about 14 students. Not all of us are working in the industry today, but our collective agency roster over the past few years includes Crispin, Hill Holliday, Barkley, Cutwater, DraftFCB, Cramer-Krasselt, DDB and others I'm sure I'm leaving off. I interned at Crispin with two other CPS alums and am currently at a non-Chicago agency with another two.

My point is that every school is going to have students with stellar books and students with terrible books. It's the nature of the business. Not everyone is cut out to be a creative. But I believe CPS does an excellent job of linking students to the resources and tools they need to make it into the business. It's up to students to decide how badly they want it.

I think it's funny how quickly people forget what it takes to not only get into this industry but to survive in advertising at all. Not everyone is cut out for this gig. Simple as that.