Navigating Media as a Young Professional

By Ashley Haley

Breaking into the media and entertainment industry can feel impossible, and the truth is, this industry isn’t what it once was. Coming from someone in their twenties with only about five years of experience, that might seem like quite the claim. But for anyone who’s been around the industry, it’s hard to ignore. AI, fragmentation of content, increasing cyber risks, a global pandemic, writers' strikes. There wasn’t a single moment that defined or signaled this shift, but a confluence of events that make securing a job, then keeping it, feel like the ground is constantly quaking beneath you.

If you’re just starting, it can feel like a no‑win outcome, where as soon as you almost achieve your goal, it’s pushed further out of reach. But the upside to this unstable careerscape is that everyone is dealing with the same shaky footing. It doesn’t matter if someone has been at the top of their game for decades or just stepped in the door.

That means being young and green doesn’t have to feel like a shutdown. If you adjust your mindset to realize that even with little to no experience, you’re playing the same stakes as everyone else, you’ll see there’s no reason you can’t adapt first. You have just as good a chance as anyone. So get the idea of this being a setback aimed at younger people in this industry alone out of your head. Don’t let it trap you.

Whether you’ve broken in already or not, the best way forward is to be flexible and organized. Uncertainty on day‑to‑day income or job opportunities requires adaptability, but the more you bend and move around, the harder it becomes to stay on top of everything. It’s easy to miss something obvious. Being younger, you’re under more scrutiny to not make those types of little mistakes. Missed deadlines, a minute or two late to a meeting. These are all things you might see people around you do and get away with, but you’re still in your trial phase, proving that you can handle the workload.

After starting out as an Account Executive for a marketing agency, moving up to a self‑developed role as a company‑wide Digital Media Specialist, then stepping into the world of publishing and digital production, I saw a lot of people my age come and go. I believe my longevity can be tied directly to my ability to self‑start, problem‑solve and stay structured.

Being a go‑getter or someone who communicates well isn’t enough on its own. I’ve seen people my age struggle to balance pushing back to establish healthy boundaries without crossing the line. Finding a way to set those boundaries is crucial. If you can’t, you will burn out. Guaranteed.

Taking on too much and not being able to speak on it leads to building fatigue and irritation. It makes it easier for things to start coming apart and harder to remain level‑headed. Eventually, as those frustrations build, there will come a moment when it's all too much, and instead of communicating one solvable problem, things explode. Now you get labeled as the rude Gen Z, the lazy young person.

So how do you avoid that trap? How do you set boundaries without being labeled rude or judged guilty of growing up in a different millennium? Organization.

Everything hinges on it. Every time I’ve pushed back in my career, it’s been successful because I knew I had my ducks in a row.

One early conflict was when I missed a few supervisor meetings with two account heads. I got confronted about it, and being so new, it was scary. From their perspective, how could I be trusted to show up on time to client meetings if I couldn’t for internal ones?

But I knew I was on top of my scheduling and communications. Sticky notes, day planners, computer notifications, I utilized it all. It turned out there was an issue with the calendar invites not going through properly. It faded into a distant first conflict, but it was a defining moment. I stood strong because I knew I had done everything I reasonably could.

Every time since then, when I’ve had to push back, having the understanding that I did everything I could on my end, the humility to let some things go, and the built‑up credit of someone who remains positive in high‑stress situations gives me the foundation I need to hold my ground.

No matter the seniority, identity, or age, everyone you work with is just another person. They all make mistakes. They all have stressors. There’s a lot of life that can get in the way of work going smoothly. Keep your head up, stay dialed in, and let organization be the thing that keeps you steady in an industry where everything else shifts.