Max Ottignon thinks the thought leaders have it backwards – juniors will bring the value

It’s a tough time for people starting out in the creative industry right now. Together with Creative Lives in Progress we asked 27 people to predict what starting a creative career will look like over the next three years.

Words: It's Nice That
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Date: 5 November 2026
Tags: Career Predictions

Starting a creative career has rarely felt harder. Junior roles are disappearing, budgets are tightening and AI is taking over much of the work that new starters once learned on. So we asked studio founders, recruiters, educators, organisations and emerging creatives themselves to predict what they think starting a creative career will look like over the next three years. What skills will matter most? How will the pipeline work? And what can people do to take advantage of new opportunities? Their answers will help shape how Creative Lives in Progress can best support emerging talent through this period and beyond.

Contributor specific paragraph.

Max Ottignon, Co-Founder at Ragged Edge

I hate making grand predictions. The speed technology is evolving means that the only certainty is uncertainty. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably selling something.

But my best guess is that while lots of things will change, often at an uncomfortable speed, what it takes to be successful will remain pretty consistent.

Curiosity. Determination. An open mind. And emotional intelligence. If you can bring that combination of traits to any role, the chances are you’ll be successful.

And while there’s plenty of evidence that there are fewer junior roles right now, I do wonder if that might start to change.

My experience is that younger people tend to have a better, more intuitive understanding of the emerging technology, and are unencumbered by the old way of doing things. That’s a huge advantage, and makes a junior employee incredibly valuable.

“Curiosity. Determination. An open mind. And emotional intelligence. If you can bring that combination of traits to any role, the chances are you’ll be successful.”
Max Ottignon

We’ve seen that at Ragged Edge. Juniors have come in and been able to leverage their technical expertise to have a disproportionate impact on the work from day one. I’ve often found myself looking at something one of the junior team has made, and having no idea how they did it. But being very glad that they did.

How might this play out in the future? There are far too many variables to know for sure. But I do think we should question the accepted wisdom.

It is possible that the thought leaders have got it backwards. Maybe it’s the juniors who will bring all the value. With the technology making up for any gaps in experience.

Perhaps we’ll see an increased demand for raw, tech literate talent. And maybe, just maybe, this is far from the worst time to be starting a career in the creative industry.

Maybe your skills will be more valuable than ever before.

This series has been put together in collaboration with It's Nice That's sister company Creative Lives in Progress; a creative careers resource, on a mission to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the industry. Find out more at creativelivesinprogress.com