I often get this question: "I want to transition into programmatic. Where do I start?"
My honest answer: Don't.
That is not what anyone expects to hear from someone who has spent the better part of two decades swimming in biddable media. But hear me out.
The pure programmatic wave is...cresting.
That said, programmatic is not going away tomorrow. The cash in the pipes will keep on running. The DSPs will keep taking a cut. The SSPs will keep pretending they are neutral. But as a career entry point?
As the place you plant your flag and build your new identity? Nah.
And certainly not for anyone later in their career.
Going full-on into classic programmatic today is like rolling up to the party just as folks are getting their coats.
Get educated. Get fluent. Get out.
You absolutely need to understand how programmatic works. All of it.
