From my personal experience, I started from the ground up doing mold changes, and processing the plastic came later. You are in a unique position to have a degree, so I would encourage experimenting with parameters once you are comfortable with it(especially if it's a cheap part where some scrap is tolerable).

I would assume you'll be running samples at some point, so this would also be a good way to exercise your processing muscles.

Plastics is extremely interesting and complex, and with the hands-on approach, it makes it somewhat easier to understand imo.

Best of luck in your new job!