When I joined the printing industry as a 25-year-old graduate, I did not have a trade nor had I ever worked in print before. What were my immediate reactions? One, I had never experienced such pride and affinity for an industry from its stakeholders. (One industry stalwart literally told me I “wouldn’t know anything for five years and I should shut up, listen and learn”). Two, there was a lot of grey hair around. Where were the people my age?
These naive assertions still ring true today. If you think I’m wrong, go to the National Print Awards or PrintEx or Drupa and take stock of the average age.
In 2007, I was selected for the GAMAA Young Leaders scholarship. In the interview, I bemoaned young people’s lack of interest in the industry as well as the industry’s overt suspicion of our potential positive influence. GAMAA challenged me to do something about it.
The printing industry is a powerhouse. It is a wonderful and traditional industry that is intrinsically linked to craft, meaning career advancement requires people to do their time, pay their dues and prove their worth. There is nothing wrong with this old-school attitude, other than that it takes time – lots of time.
This beats candidates into a particular mould by a certain age. Safety. Reliability. Recognition. It also scares the hell out of young execs, who can go to other industries like IT or recruitment or PR and be managing an innovative team with the promise of a $150,000 salary before they’re 30.
The mass media will have you believe that Gen Y are unreliable, mercenary liabilities. Yet many Gen Y’ers have managed to exploit the changing business landscape. The good ones are no mugs. Look at the founders of Facebook.
Certain industries are embracing the innovative iPod generation to improve their bottom lines. Is print? Do a straw poll and examine the median age of your workplace.
Many of my alumni work in advertising, web design and PR. These industries, with their inherent creativity and ‘cool’ appeal are a natural magnet for bright young things. Yet scratch the surface and 90% of jobs in these fields are no more exciting than many other industries. Most designers have to work to very strict client briefs, stifling any true creativity and freedom. Admin and support staff could be working in any office, anywhere.
It’s the window dressing that first attracts them and keeps them there. Walk around the office of an ad agency or web design firm and you don’t see shirts and ties and coffee machines. You see 26-year-olds in skinny jeans and Chuck Taylors and Friday afternoon drinks at the work bar. Students learn about these environments at university and (understandably) gravitate towards them.
You might think these things invite an atmosphere of laziness or are unprofessional. Not true. Staff in these kinds of businesses can be expected to pull far longer hours than many printing industry people I know. They work devastatingly hard for each other and for their companies. Let’s not forget: youth is energy. (Can I add, in no way am I suggesting people in the printing industry do not work hard.)
To my mind, working in print is miles ahead of working in those other industries. We create things you can hold in your hand. Presses and machinery and installations are cool. The printing industry offers international opportunities above and beyond a design or PR firm. How many web designers get to fly to Drupa or complete hands-on training in the US?
Why is printing being overlooked by the younger generation? As I see it, the answer is two-fold. First, the generation gap between leaders of our industry and Gen Y is too great; there is a natural but systemic mistrust that runs both ways. Sadly, I don’t know a quick fix to this problem.
Secondly (and more fixable) is printing’s major image problem. We need to send a clear, unified message that it is an innovative, exciting industry to work in – and it is – and push that through the university system by investing in development. Until that is done, we will continue missing out on the brightest, youngest things.
My great fear is that by the time I can exert some real influence on this issue, I will be too old and too conservative to help.
Adam Newman is a business development manager at Ferag Australia
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