Thirty-five years ago this month I took the plunge into a career in graphic arts and printing. Therefore, it was very timely that I was asked to contribute this article to WhatTheyThink.com.

Fresh out of a university education with an art degree and no place to go… but I could draw and that landed me a position with the second largest telephone company designing ads for their yellow page directories! Thrown into a sales support unit, it was learn it all and hit the ground running!

This experience was fortunate because I worked in the field with salespeople and even accompanied them on sales calls, often mocking up a tight layout in the car on the way to an appointment. The beauty of this experience was getting the perspective from the sales point of view and also hearing the customer perspective on what their needs were. I have never forgotten what I learned in this position.

As Fate would have it, a position in the production department opened up and it did pay more so I applied for it and was hired. I learned every aspect of building a good paste-up mechanical, typography, process darkroom work and every other process in production.

This experience grew and included building a production department from the ground up, developing staff, managing all aspects of print from contract negotiation, supervising press checks and managing distribution. Ultimately, I was responsible for a very large national print program and later managed the print production for all marketing and promotional materials for one of the most visible branded companies in the world.

The point of this brief chronology is to point out something that I feel is lacking in the print production world today – experience learned on the job – a step at a time. This statement is not meant to endorse the traditional guild approach of learning a craft over a long period of time. Personally, my learning curve was very quick in terms of years. It is meant to illustrate that knowledge and experience in a given field are assets that will lead to a certain level of success and self satisfaction. Hold this thought.

We live in a very fast-moving world where technology is driving change daily. The last five years has demonstrated real paradigm shifts in almost every industry in the way business is done and in the way work is approached. How many of you readers are now "consultants" or "free lance workers" and not part of a permanent staff of some organization? Do you have a job title today that reflects what you really do?

For several years now we have seen the role of the traditional print production manager slipping away. For the past decade or more, we have seen the roles of print production manager and graphic artist/designer blending. And more recently, the role of traditional print buyer has started to be given to either someone in an administrative role or to an online purchasing service. How quickly has the role of a traditional prepress house evaporated? In the early 1980’s, a client would pay as much as $2,000 an hour to have sophisticated retouching done on a Hell Chromacom system. Today, you can do that on a $1,500 home PC!

In my personal experience in direct marketing, I find myself not purchasing as much print as I did two or three years ago. It has nothing to do with cost but rather how to quickly and effectively reach a very specific market niche or individual. This is nothing new. Groups such as CAP Ventures and other consulting firms have discussed this paradigm shift for at least 5 – 7 years in the white papers they produce. With marketing and advertising budgets being pared to the bone resulting in less ink on paper, the ripple effect has been far-reaching and the list of business casualties continues to grow. The list of displaced employees from marketing and advertising departments also continues to grow. So… what does one do?

Going back to "hold that thought," the tactic that I have seen work for myself and for many others who are successfully weathering this economic storm is to continue to learn and expand. If you are just entering the graphics/printing industry as a career, keep your mind open to learning new things. If you just graduated from a graphics program you need to understand that your education gave you the basics on which to build knowledge. It did not give you a large knowledge base – you have to acquire that over time. Become a sponge and soak up every bit of knowledge from people who have experience and from the vast amount of information that available. A wealth of industry data is now online and is easy to access, quick to read and is updated frequently so you can always stay on top of industry and market trends.

Because the traditional job as we have known it is evolving from that of an employee hired by a company to perform a specific duty (e.g. buy printing) to that of a "project manager/jack of all trades" who has to do it all and constantly make decisions, it is imperative to have the knowledge base necessary to be effective in this new role. Recognize that you are no longer an employee but a commodity, a business in yourself and you, like any business, must continue to evolve and grow to stay competitive.

What I am doing today is very different than what I was doing even three to five years ago. I have acquired new skills, have never stopped learning and even at my age and experience can compete with those who are younger and better educated than myself. I have never lost my desire to continue to acquire knowledge but I have focused on my profession and peripheral areas to accumulate knowledge. When an opportunity becomes available to learn something new, I still ask myself if investing the time in this opportunity will add value to what I am doing or will be doing. Because… life is just too short to attempt to be all things!

The bottom line is to stay focused but don’t have tunnel vision! And, be adaptable to the ever changing work environment we all are in! Finally, keep your senses open to pick up impending changes and be ready for the changes when they happen. That is called SURVIVAL and it is far more satisfying than the alternative. The printers and suppliers and individuals who continue to enjoy success in today’s business climate understand this philosophy very well.

So, after thirty-five years in this industry, that is my small contribution to all of you who have chosen to expand your knowledge base and stay on top of the industry by being members of "WhatTheyThink!"

Good luck in your careers!