my backgroud info: ive been doing freelance graphic/website/photography work for about...4 years... artgeek at heart... recently working at a photo studio, mostly retouching portraits... babies n kids...

my question... directed more to those with more professional experience...
i just got hired at a very large school photography company as a retoucher... my original goal was to acquire a job related to art/computers/photography just to get a steady income and work on my freelance work on the side... in hopes of doing it full time...
problem is.. since the retoucher position is full time, plus travel time... it may clunk up my schedule and focus... i was wondering whether this job would really be beneficial to my growth and learning, as far as retouching... after taking their retouching "test", it seems like boring unchallenging job of taking zits off of hs kids' faces... i feel like i am capable of doing more, but maybe i am being unrealistic about the job market thing... i dont want this job to just be something nice to put on my resume... does anyone know the potential salary of this kind of thing? my starting wage is very low...

This doesn't really answer your question as much as it's a bit of advice.

Why not try pitching to the company that you will take on their retouching as a freelancer. They would save by not having to pay you for the hours you arent working, save on benefits, etc etc. You would be able to take on the work, and continue freelancing.

I have gotten some jobs that way, some people go for it, some don't.

Worth a shot though.

There's more to retouching those school photos that just zits. You'll encounter a variety of challenges (braces, bad teeth, scars, stray hairs, unbelievably bad acne, clothing fixes, etc). What you'll gain is the ability to whip through those issues in a matter of minutes. Speed is just as important as skill to employers.

Retouching school photos can be boring at times, but unless you have a better opportunity, I would stay with it for a while, and keep copies of your most impressive retouching for your portfolio.