Things you learn at an agency: 1) How to work with clients and help them launch new ideas. 2) How to work quickly and efficiently to launch quickly, with no r

Things you learn at an agency: 1) How to work with clients and help them launch new ideas. 2) How to work quickly and efficiently to launch quickly, with no real responsibility for long term maintenance. 3) Lots of new technologies, based on what clients want and what helps you accomplish #2 quickly. 4) A healthy network of well rounded and skilled individuals in sales, design, and project management. Now, here's what you won't learn at an agency: 1) How to scale fast growing systems efficiently. 2) Real systems engineering that makes things last. 3) Growth hacking techniques or anything else related to user acquisition. 4) How to hire and manage highly skilled individuals that can do all of the above. In short, you'll learn different skills, some complimentary, some not. I think agency work is great for learning how to start a startup or a new venture, but it likely won't give you the skills you need to keep a company running and growing.