Unemployment

[Canalratt1]

Well I'm almost halfway through my unemployment benefits. Since my trade (printing) has gone down the tubes Unemployment says I may qualify to be retrained in another field. I have to come up with an approved school and course and they will have the final say. I'm leaning towards a computer course either in repair os security but not sure, there are tons of courses out there. Another option is mantenance facilities which would be good since I have operated, installed, and repaired printing presses. Another option could be in the medical manufacturing area. Any suggestions would be welcome I am having a hard time trying to decide which direction to go. Unemployment caps the funding off at 2500$ but I may be able to get some financial aid. It cannot be a long term course or school and has to be over 20 hours a week. Thanks guys!

[cheferson]

What about cooking? Always butloads of jobs.

[TheRattBoy]

Plumber, electrician???I know a few doing well for themselves, hope everything works out for you. johnny "the Ratt Boy"

[CAL]

Canalratt1, have you tried presstemps? They keep sending me emails trying to get me to work for them. They changed their name recently. Go to www.printstaff.com.

InterCity in Rockland (new name is Graphic Sevices) may have an opening. My buddy says they just got in another web.

My shop is getting a brand new 5 color in the next couple months and possibly a new 2 color. I may need a feeder/second man if it's not too much of a step back for you. Money wouldn't be as bad as you think.

I'll keep my eyes and ears open for you. Good luck.

[denport]

Originally posted by cheferson
What about cooking? Always butloads of jobs.

Cheferson, what are you trying to de to the poor boy? 12 hour days, the friggin waitstaff takin all the money, greasy skin and smeely clothes? I did that for 16 years before starting my own painting business. Lets not kill the poor printer!



But you are right about plenty of jobs.

[cheferson]

Cooking aint that bad, sure it sucks sometimes. What about all the free willed hot waitresses that pop out there breasts after a few drinks, or the discreet brake with a female in the basement ? Also in my case what about watching the sickest sunset everynight, 10 feet from the water? Not to mention the view of the lower bay and newport bridge, priceless!! Also watching the bass and blues run bunker up on the rocks for 3 hours, having no pole, running down to the water and trying to knock one of the 25lb bass up near the rocks out with a broomstick.

[Bawana]

Did they finally get the Baker Perkins web into Graphic services?Live about 2 miles away.Print staff might be Ok if your looking for sheet fed work but all they come up with for web Jobs is running a cold set diddie or roll tending.Most of the big webs have gone away.I*ve been a 4/c commercial heat set web presman On Harris Presses for 26 years and in web printing for like 34 and there just arent many jobs left in my area south of Boston.I worked for a place for 17 years that moved up to Maine and went there but hated the cold and the fact that they did nothing but take bennys away from us for two years so left and came back.Commuted to the NH border for 12 years till another closed down.Loved the summer commute on fridays -- 3 hrs to get home through cape traffic.Every afternoon Boson traffic was always an experiance ya-------- whaaaaaa whaaaa whaaa but the Up-side is now have a lot more time to build rods and fish.

[Canalratt1]

Thanks guys, Cal I'll check out Graphic services again. I dropped a resume off there but never heard back from them. I have lots of web and sheet fed experiance. It seems I have run just about every press type out there. I do have a few bites on the printing areas. I looked into the schooling and not sure if thats the way to go either. Got a headache

[Moose Nuckle]

My 2 cents. Sit down and think about what you like to do. Something you enjoy. I'm sure there are jobs in that field. Good Luck!! I cooked for a while myself. Only because I enjoyed it. When I did not enjoy it, I stopped. Good Luck!!

[BigFish]

Canalratt....I used to be employed in the printing industry many moons ago until it went "down the tubes" as you say. Belive me when I tell you it went down the tubes a long time ago. I actually used to work for Intercity Press back when they first got started in Braintree. I was fresh out of Blue Hills Regional Vo-Tech from graphic arts and went to work for them when they were Rapid Reproductions (my first job) back in 1982. I did everything from camerawork and layout to stripping and platemaking all the way to presswork running AB #^&#^&#^&#^&s and Ryobi 960's w/T heads to all the binderywork and then some. Yet with all my hard work and knowledge all the jobs I could find sucked.....it was all due to the introduction of computers in the field of printing. Anyway, I am very friendly with the former owners of Intercity Press who I believe were retained on staff at the newly named place as part of the sales agreement. The former owners are the Dedarian family (spelling may be wrong) I believe Mark and Craig Derdarian still work there....if you want to drop a name feel free to use mine and lie your butt off if it helps to get your foot in the door. Feel free to pm me if I can be of help, I don't see those guys too much but they know me, we had a real good relationship for a long time.

Hey, you know what....I also am very friendly with the owner of Pyramid Printing....maybe I can help. PM me ya phone number.

[Canalratt1]

Thanks to everyone. I have been offered a job that I am accepting for a small local place. It is still in the printing industry but they are doing very well. I plan on taking classes when I get caught up again. Bigfish is right this trade has been going down the tubes, in case this happens again. I only have less than 20 years to retirement! Thanks again for every ones support, you guys are the best. Nice talking to you at Monahans Big Fish!

[BigFish]

Congratulations and good luck with your new job Canalratt1!

[CAL]

Congratulations! Where you gonna be working?

BigFish, you're lucky you got out when you did. When I first started in the business all the old timers told me to get out while I could. I didn't listen

[Raven]

one of a mans biggest acomplisments is learning to listen to that small voice within...that you tend to ignore. Call it intuition or that inner gut feeling but mastering paying attention to what it TRYS to tell you takes practice and patience but eventually you start listening. The results of which always seem to be the best decision.

GOOD LUCK cannalratt on the new assignment.

[Canalratt1]

It will probably be about three more weeks before I start, you know right about the time the fish start to bite. Yah I have been saying to myself get out but when you have ink in your blood...

[denport]

canalratt1,
glad to hear you got work. I'm looking to have business cards printed up for my painting company. Do you get a commision? I'll place my order through you if you want.
S

[Canalratt1]

Denport thanks but for what you want just use your local guy. I'll be running the printing dept. I'm not into the sales end but will gladly help out anyone that needs printing done or any questions on it. I'll be starting around the 1st of April at Copy Connect in Weymouth. Its on rt. 18 not far from Monahans on the same side towards the landing.

[JohnR]

Tony - Good news! Beats the alternatives, eh?

[fishweewee]

Glad to hear you're back on your feet.

[bloocrab]

...I was in that same situation a couple of years back...DET was offering "retraining" possibilities. They handed me a book and said I could be anything I wanted to be... I thumbed thru the book and told them that I'd like to be an Art teacher. They laughed and said "No Way!..the state won't fund a program like that, it's too long of a course"....I then offered to pick up the rest of the tuition once the state's money was gone. They told me that the state would not allow it. They would only fund something that I could complete with their allowance. I thumbed thru the book again, and decided on counseling.....DET said, why not become a prison guard if you have interests in counseling. Prison Guard = Counseling ...again, the course was too long to become a counselor. Once again, I thumbed thru the book... ..what about a male nurse I said, ....."too long" they replied. ...yet ALL these options were in the book. My counselor gave me a "questionaire" that listed your interests, it's a graph of questions that once completed...ends up telling you..based upon you answers, what field you should be in. It gives you 2 possible alternates. What do you think mine were?...Teaching & Counseling Being really pissed off now, I looked for the most expensive course available within my "course length limits", and chose the MCSE program...$13,000. Not that I had ANY interest in computers...I think I did it more in spite. Now I'm a traveling computer fool.....still wishing I was teaching kids how to draw.

It's a sad fact, but in America if you've always worked and unfortunately lose your job....you find yourself waiting in the back of a line filled with either welfare folk, people who always seem to dodge that employment bullet, or illegal immigrants receiving better benefits than you.

[Canalratt1]

Yah the retraining gig was a joke. Funny I accepted an offer for a job that I really did like and this week I have had three other offers! The company that I am working for was very professional about their offer laying out all the benefits and raises etc. in writing! You don't have to quess why I took their offer!

[Pete]

[i]I looked for the most expensive course available within my "course length limits", and chose the MCSE program...$13,000. [/B]

If unemployment paid for it you did better than I did. When I told the guy I wanted to go for MSCE, his color draind and he nearly gaged and puked. What!, they think education is cheep? Anyway I never went for a MSCE and eventually found a job. Now just waiting to slide into some type of retirement, maybe some part time work closer to home.

Pete