Hey guys. I got a new job - I have yet to start my first day. I'll be working for the newspaper, in printing. I'll be operating an "inserter machine". I've never done anything like this in my whole life. Have any of you done anything like this? What can you tell me about working for the newspaper? What can I expect?

I'm taking the nightshift too. I'm a little nervous about that. This is all new to me. I've been a carpenter's helper for about 3 years and I've done other things on and off. Never worked night term though.

Anyone have some words of wisdom???? Help a kid out please. :P


Thanks in advance for your time

 

You'll be fine. In today's economy a job with a newspaper should be a good job. Working the night shift has both drawbacks and rewards; I did it as a Police Officer for years. Frees up your days, but takes a while to get used to. Keep us posted on the progress of the job; after 2-3 wks you'll be in the groove!

 

Night shift takes some getting used to. Invest in a set of dark window coverings.

When I work nights I am home a bit after 7:00AM go to bed sleep till 11:00 sometimes 1:00 if things go really well until mid afternoon.

 

I hated the graveyard shift.

When I worked for the Bureau of the Mint; Coining Division, I worked all three
shifts, and preferred the swing shift, but hated the graveyard shift.

I did like the 15% differential in pay, though.

An old friend of mine use to work for a newspaper, as a type setter, setting the
type for the next days paper.

Yes! Long ago.

"What can you expect?" Money, and hopefully benefits.

Good luck on your new job.

 

Just be sure to go to work every day....or nignt...as the case may be.

 

I worked Swing shift for 9 years and I think at first, your biggest problem is will be getting enough sleep and staying alert while on shift. Working around machinery requires your attention, no matter what time it is.
You will need to find an sleep schedule that works for you and stick to it.
You will be a night worker in a day shift world, so Dr. visits, shopping etc. require a little creativity to fit in with your work/ sleep schedule.
I had some trouble at first, but afte a while, I grew to really enjoy the night shift.

 

I love working at night...But it does make it a little difficult to get things done.

Maybe if I worked 8 or 10 hours a night it'd be easier but I work 12's and drive 2 hours so there isn't much time left to sleep and spend some time with my son.

My buddy prints the paper, he complains about it alot, but he's been doing it for about 5 years now. So it must not be too bad, or he woulda found something else by now.

I don't know how your employer works, but I wouldn't be able to stand working ALL the time, I think my buddy gets one weekend off a month, and usually SOMETHING happens right before his weekend so that he usually has to work anyway.

I don't mind putting in my 60-70 hours a week... but I'd rather do it in 5 days and still have my weekend free.

Maybe the place you got a job isn't so bad... the place my buddy work for (i think) was THE or closest to one of the oldest printing presses still being used in the united states. SO, they probably have to work alot harder to keep that place going.

 

Welcome to the printing trade!!!!

I'm not too familiar with the 'inserting machine' (I've run big collators, but not 'inserters'), but, I imagine that you'll be inserting the sale ads, comics, etc.

Two words of warning. . . .
1. A printing press (or other printing equipment) CAN take off a finger or a hand, and will NOT slow down. I've seen a co-worker lose a finger and didn't know it, until the feeling came back in his 'stub'.
I know an individual that had his right arm pulled into a printing press (relatively small compared to a newspaper 'web' press) and fortunately, it just peeled the skin back, on his arm. He didn't lose the arm. His arm looked like a banana that had been peeled.
2. The ink used to print newspapers ("Job Black" is one name that it's called) doesn't dry very quickly. It dries through oxidation. (Air and heat.)
You can and most likely will get ink on your hands from handling the papers.
(In other words, wear old jeans or work pants and keep a bottle of hand cleaner with pumice in it, to wash your hands.)
Lestoil is really good for getting ink out of your clothes!!!!!


As for night shift. . . I worked nights for a couple of years, when I was in my early working days.
Nights and days just sorta ran together.
You will love the fact that when you are going home after your shift, most of the traffic will be going TO work. Commutes are a lot easier for night shift workers.

Dark shades or curtains will help you sleep during the day.
EARPLUGS. These are a lifesaver! When you are trying to sleep and the rest of the world wants to work on their motorcycles, cut grass, yell at the kids, earplugs will help you ignore that 'noise'.


Lastly. . .
Congrats on the new job!

 

Thanks everyone,

I appreciate your thoughtful info. I can't wait to get started. I'm going to make sure to keep my body parts where they belong, and not into any machine. I plan on leaving this world intact! Ha ha.

I guess I'll see how I do working at night. I can't sleep anyway. For some reason I come alive at night and I'm a dog during the day.

oh! And I forgot this fact. I'll be working in AC! I live in the deep south and this will be the first job I took in AC, so I'm tickled silly about that. :P ha ha.

I'll be working 6 nights a week I think. I'm like the one guy that said he'd rather work his 70 hrs in 5 days and have a weekend. Maybe because my days will be freed up I won't mind it.

Anyway thanks again guys!

 

good luck and enjoy the ac.

 

Worked the night shift for 8 years. It will take you about a week or so to get your sleep schedual down. After you figure out what works from you your will find that even on the weekends you will be keeping clost to those same hours or you mondays will be totally screwed up trying to get back on your weekday schedual.

Even with AC those machines generate a lot of heat.

 

That isn't too tough a job, the machine does most of the work, you just have to load or stack the inserted papers. I did a local job similar that did ad sheets that you likely will be inserting...

 

Yeah, seems pretty simple. I just got back from talking to my new boss for almost two hours. Seems like a decent job. You just need to know what you're doing. I start tonight at 10 pm. Wish me luck!

 

I've worked nights (weekends ) at the isp I used to work for.

the guys who worked nights were an odd breed.

That said. I believe its extremely hard to have a normal life, working nights

 

not good for your health either from what ive read. you spend your whole life hard wiring your body with the everyday activites that you do, there was a study conducted and i guess your body is more prone to getting disease.

but you gotta do what you gotta do, i worked overnight shift for a couple of years, actually during college, get out of work in the morning and go to school, some of the hardest times ive been through, having an apartment at the same time as well. but id say it installed some good values in me.

sleep will be one of the most important things that you'll need if you stay at this position for awhile.

but like people before me have suggested, invest in blacking out your room, you trick the mind back into your old ways.

also if you have a family at home, have some patience, and try not to be a grouch, if your extra tired