Potential?
Hey all, I've just gotten into commercial printing and had a few questions about my potential future in the industry.
Long story short, I started a new job at a little print shop about 8 months ago making 17/hr. Half as much as I was making, but in the last year I became a single parent and this job offers me a lot of flexibility so I can make that work. suffice to say, I'm not really in it for the money right now (although I think I could be making more)
Anyway, in the past 8 months I've been trained and let loose on 4 different presses, all of them being pretty old offset presses that print mostly business forms. The one I work on most is a Müller Martini that I think was made in the 80s or something. I really enjoy the work and I've learned a lot of interesting stuff. it's something that I've definitely become interested in and would like to continue in some capacity.
However, as I learn more about the industry, I'm getting the feeling that the kind of presswork I'm doing is going the way of the dodo. I'm a bit worried that the current knowledge and experience I'm getting in this position will not help me much if I want to advance further, I.E. going for a job in the industry with a different company. i mean if so much of this stuff is going digital, do I stand a chance with my current experience? Would any of my training be transferrable if I were to start working with some newer presses in the future?
If any vets of the trade read all of this and have any words of wisdom for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.