Residence’s Jan Jensen on why juniors will soon be doing mid-level work

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.

Jan Jenson, Chief Talent Officer at Residence

I think the type of work early-career creatives do will certainly change over the next three years, but I think it will actually become more interesting. What used to be entry-level tasks, such as resizing assets, below-the-line copy, taking notes in meetings and basic communication with a client, is now what generative AI tools can do faster and cheaper.

Studios may hire fewer entry-level creatives, but expect the ones they do hire to work at what used to be mid-level: directing tools, editing their output and running a small brief from start to finish. The skills that I expect will be in demand will shift from tactical work to strategic decision-making, meaning knowing what’s good and being able to say why.

Right now some people might have the edge because of their understanding of AI tools, but in the future, AI fluency will be the norm and just another tool in the toolbelt. Creatives who are resilient, with emotional intelligence and a curious mindset will be in high demand, as will those with a point of view and the ability to communicate their point of view clearly.

“Creatives who are resilient, with emotional intelligence and a curious mindset will be in high demand, as will those with a point of view and the ability to communicate their point of view clearly.”
Jan Jenson, Chief Talent Officer at Residence

Even if someone doesn’t have the opportunity to learn on the job the way others did 15 years ago, the resources available to become self-taught are now greater than ever. Anyone with a strong desire can learn anything right now, and that’s pretty exciting to me. It levels the playing field in a new way, especially from a socio-economic standpoint.

Over time, I predict that softer skills like time management and critical thinking will become more valuable, so it’s important to develop those skills now and hone them over time. The best part is that all of these skills are things you can learn, and the more you practice the better you become.

I am optimistic that most studios and agencies will still value early-career creatives for their fresh perspective and how tapped into culture they are, and I predict a lot of studios and agencies who have scaled back entry-level hiring now will feel a void in their mid-level pipeline by 2028 or 2029. I think there will be a course correct, but the work will just look a little different in the future.

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