Have you ever had...

[gordo]

a flash of inspiration, an insight that changed/propelled your career?

I've had a few...The first MAC in 1984 - I bought mine in February - everyone thought I was crazy, but I saw the potential in cutting out all the middle men in graphic production. It, and a lot of hard work allowed me to buy my first house an otherwise impossible dream ( The Print Guide: The Wayback View – My 25th Anniversary with the Apple Macintosh ).

The movie TRON whose effects I was able to replicate using standard photo techniques. (http://the-print-guide.blogspot.ca/2010/12/tronitized-influence-of-tron-on-graphic.html) My clients thought that I was a computer graphics genius at a time when computers were relatively unknown by most folks. I could charge a premium for a secret that few understood.

Did you have one of those insight moments in your career?

 

[Point918]

My first flash inspriration: Back in the middle 80's working as a customer service person and estimator in at NYC sales office fora CT based commercial printer I was having trouble keeping up with volume of quotes. My boss suggested I automate the process by using a computer. Bought a IBM PC XT, Lotus 123 and using a spreadsheet and macros did in fact increase my productivity and certainly accuracy. Spent many evening refining and expanding the capabilities of that spreadsheet.
This made me the "computer expert" in the company and soon I was researching and upgrading the MIS system for the company.

My second inspiration: When the Mac could finally do pre press and retouching I was charged with starting an electronic pre press department. Although a bit of PC bigot, Mac were toys after all, after actually using one for about 20 minutes saw the light bought a couple Quadra 950's, interface for our Crosfield scanner and an imag and we said goodbye to $400 per hour scitex work and photo typeseting charges

Quite a sweet run since then by embracing the technology as it's matured.

 

[aqazi81]

My First flash inspiration may not be like you guys but, back in January 2000 after leaving my studies incomplete, my father took me to a print shop where he worked as a lead press operator and mechanic. I worked with my father on a very old ROLAND REKORD and helped him in maintenance work. After loosing job in 2006, I went to a print shop that was just being set up. There were no employees except me and an electrician. My job was there to clean the presses for almost 6 months. During this period I saw the Heidelberg presses for the first time and worked very hard to learn these new presses (new to me).
I got the chance to work with installation technicians from within the country and also technicians from UK.
During the 2nd year of my job there, a British Engineer came to install a 5 Color Speedmaster press. I got the chance to work with him and he was so impressed with my learning skills and passion to work that he passed me very good knowledge of how to install Heidelberg presses.
He was my inspiration in this field. So I worked hard and within few months I installed 2 presses there and had great chance to learn and install postpress bindery equipment.
I joined colorprintingforum.com and printplanet for my hunger to learn and learned a lot from you guys experiences. Both forums have been a great source of knowledge for me. I forgot to mention Gordo's Print Guide Blogspot. I have learned a lot about prepress from there. Though I have not contributed to the Blog in terms of a " BIG MAC"....
Since then I have worked for a few print shops as a senior press operator and did freelance maintenance of print machinery.

Recently I joined a leading pressroom consumable supplier and working as a technical supervisor.
I have set up a Facebook group and page for print industry, named pressroom and trying to pass latest advancements and knowledge to my fellow Pakistani Press Operators and other people.
Keep in mind that there is just one Graphic arts college in my country with a population of around 180 Million and majority of the people in this industry have no basic education and academic qualification in this field.

This is my little story.

Regards.

 

[MailGuru]

Sorry to leave you hangin', Gordo. We got kind of busy here, and, now it's Friday afternoon and things are beginning to calm down a little.

Geeze, there's been so many........where to begin?

I guess if you narrow it down to "......an insight that changed/propelled your career", it would be making the choice to drop out of college and start teaching myself about these new fangled things called "computers".

Back then (mid to late seventies) computers were not very wide-spread. Heck, the average computer cost $750,000 to a million, so, only the large or wealthy companies could afford one. The technology was so new, you couldn't learn about it in a traditional college (junior college) anyway. I heard through the rumor mill that the company I worked for while attending college was contemplating putting one in, but, no one knew anything about it. Knowing the potential of a profession that was very high in demand, I got my hands on the technical reference manuals of the computer that the company was looking at, and, night after night, (and, in to the wee hours of the morning), on my own time (and, on my own dime) learned how to design and write computer programs. I was interested and motivated. It was fun and challenging. After about a year, I got pretty good at it, and was writing programs for the company I worked for. Years later, I would resign from that company and go out on my own as a contract computer consultant and programmer.

There is something so satisfying about starting with nothing but an idea or concept, and then building it, from the ground up, to a completed system that performs the desired task flawlessly at the push of a button. I guess it's kind of the feeling that a home-builder gets when starting with nothing but an empty lot, and finishing with a fully completed house. You get to stand back and admire it and say "look what I've done with my own two hands!

Anyway, long story short, it was the best move I ever made, and, I haven't looked back since. If you measure your success in this life in terms of income (and, that's a big IF) -- I don't recommend that -- IMHO "income" is only a small part of how one should measure one's "success", but, if that is your yardstick, I've probably made more than most of my college graduate counterparts.

I hope people don't read this and get the wrong idea. I am NOT anti-college, and, I'm not implying college is useless. I think a college education is important. But, what's even MORE important is that you find that thing that makes you happy and keeps you interested. Heck, you may very well get it from attending college. But, once you find it, relentlessly pursue it. Don't worry about the money, it'll take care of itself

- All The Best To All Of You !!!

-MailGuru

 

[maas]

Very impressive aqazi81

 

[aqazi81]

Very impressive aqazi81

Thank You !

 

[MailGuru]

Then, there was the time, at the age of 3 years old, I decided to insert a table-knife into one of the slots in an electrical outlet. Why? Because mom told me to never, never mess with the electrical outlets.
I rationed that, there must be something very good about them, and, she just didn't want me to have fun.

Changed everything...................

Of course, then there was the guy here in Tampa that decided he would "kiss" a cotton mouth water mocassin. He's still in the hospital.

-MailGuru