School Training

[rmac2010]

First I just want to say thanks for creating such a great site.
I am looking at different schools in my area ( Boston, Massachusetts).
I recently lost my job of 29 years as a machinist and have decided to change careers. I have found myself leaning torwards the Locksmithing trade. The question I have is I have found a school in my area that is offering a 66 hour course http://www.petersonschool.com/Locksmith.htm . The cost is very low compared to another school I found which I really can not afford http://www.nbss.org/programs/locksmithing/index.aspx . In your opinions do you think an 11 week 66 hour course is enough to help me break into the field or a waste of my time and money? The Peterson course (11 weeks) is a little under 2 thousand dollars the Bennett Street school course ( 9 months full time) is a little under 17 thousand dollars. Thanks in advance for all input.

[nostromo]

There are quite a few posts you might want to search for and browse around in before making the jump. They talk about the various schools and their merits, breaking in to the trade, and managing a career as a locksmith. Straightforward, too. There are really good, experienced people here.

There's a lot of marketing from the locksmithing schools that make it sound like a great trade (it is) and easy to get into (not so much) and you make money (not lately). There's an awful lot of fresh competition out there as the economy sags, and it sounds like it's not just here - it's UK and maybe OZ, too. There have been 4-5 new startups in the last couple of years in my city, which has up to now been able to support only that many locksmiths.

My heart just cringes at all the stories I hear, the closed storefronts I see and people I talk to who are having to do so much more with so much less. I teach police how to pick locks (mostly as a community service and to promote locksport awareness) and am hearing constantly how towns close up their police departments and the next higher jurisdiction has to shoulder the burden, how one Sherrif has a $60K annual budget to run the whole department (which includes salary for himself and two part-timers), etc, etc, etc.

A machinist background (my father was a machinist at General Electric for 25+ years) is a wonderful background. Perhaps there is some related niche you can think of? Designing and/or producing tools maybe? Schuyler Towne and other very creative people are right in you rneck of the woods - perhaps you could partner with them to actually develop and deliver some 'gleam in the eye' designs they have?

Don't mean to be a wet blanket - I am hoping that you'll check into your local market and see how much demand there is before comitting yourself to tuition expenses and the lost income opportunity while you train.

Best of luck. The VERY best of luck to you.

[rmac2010]

Thanks Nostromo I really enjoyed reading your response. I have been browsing in this forum trying to get a feel of what I might expect if I was to enter the field.
My machining days are over although I did like the way you thought outside the box when you referred to designing and or producing tools.
I feel its time for me to change direction and try something new and the idea of locksmithing really has me feeling like I have found a new calling.
Schooling is my primary concern at the moment I don't want to make any errors out of the gate.
It sounds to me from what I have read that people in this field are very satisfied with there career choice even though it may be difficult for newcomers to break into the field. I'm still wondering if a 66 hour course is enough to begin it just doesn't sound right to me.
Thanks for listening to my jibber jabber
Take Care

[Evan]

Hi rmac2010:

You are asking the difference between apples and oranges here...

The Peterson School course is intended to be an introductory offering into how locks work and what someone working in a maintenance capacity would need to know... Just barely covers the basics... Breaks down like this:

3 hours per night * 2 nights a week * 11 weeks = 66 hours of instruction...

$1,350 tuition of which supposedly $300 goes for "Books and Lab materials"...

Look at the shortcomings of this program:

It will have a large class size...
It will quickly cover everything, not having time to go into many topics...
It totally leaves out automotive and safes...
You will not be getting much of anything in the way of tools and books...
(Ask anyone in the field, you can spend $300 in a second...)
They do not tell you in advance who your instructor will be or what qualifications that person possesses...
You would be earning a certificate of attendance for being present for 66 classroom hours...

The North Bennet Street School Locksmithing program on the other hand is intended to be a comprehensive instruction in the art, science and business aspects of the locksmithing industry... Breaks down like this:

4.5 hours per day * 5 days per week * 36 weeks = approximately 800-ish hours when you factor in holidays and vacation...

You said around $17,000 tuition which correlates to the correct range for school tuition rates since the last actual figures I have for NBSS from 2004 and factor in appropriate increases over the past six years, out of that tuition you will be spending between $1,200 to $1,400 on tools and books you will keep as your own...

Let's consider this program:

You know who the instructor is and can research his background and qualifications as well as business reputation if you are so inclined...
It gives you a very good starting tool kit when you are done...
It has a small class size, only 8 students at a time enter the program twice a year...
It covers every area of locksmithing giving you the fundamentals you will need to succeed...
Your progress will be individually monitored by the instructor due to the small class size, also allowing for more 1:1 learning opportunities...
You would be earning a trade school diploma for your successful completion of the program from the oldest and most reputable trade school in Massachusetts...

Now some drawbacks:

NBSS is located in the North End of Boston, parking will cost you an arm and/or a leg OR both for those 36 weeks and is not included in the tuition price...
You will either have to park in a commercial parking garage in Boston somewhere and walk to the school OR do the same thing and use the MBTA subway to get to class, costing you additional money...
Admission is more competitive for the Locksmithing program than you think, around a hundred or so people apply each year for only 16 slots, 8 fall and 8 spring...
The tuition is a lot of money but you are getting A LOT out of that money...

So looking at both of these options, one being LESS THAN 10% of the training time compared to the other, you can see that they really are not the same thing and can not be compared to each other as they are not intended for the same purpose... They do cover the same topic just from vastly different perspectives...

~~ Evan

(Disclaimer: no I have not attended NBSS, I looked into it and took the tour but it just didn't fit into my financial reality at the time...)

[rmac2010]

Hi Evan
I appreciate the time you took to break things down. I have searched high and low for some type of locksmithing program in the state and was surprised to see that NBSS was the only one close enough for me to attend. Reality kicked in when I saw the costs involved. Tuition, travel, parking (MBTA now charges to park in there lots), ect. I had lost hope on following thru with this career change until stumbling upon the locksmith program at Peterson this past week.
This is the main reason why I posted my question and you broke it down (Peterson) so it finally makes sense.

"The Peterson School course is intended to be an introductory offering into how locks work and what someone working in a maintenance capacity would need to know... Just barely covers the basics"

Frustrating to say the least .

[Evan]

rmac2010:

I hope that you aren't discouraged from entering the locksmithing field...

You are just realizing that it is an uphill battle...

There are industry certifications out there in the maintenance and property management fields that require PDP's in order to maintain one's certification... Professional Development courses vary in what they can be and schools like Peterson have gained a market share in fulfilling those PDP needs...

If you were looking to get involved in maintenance the Peterson course in locksmithing would be of benefit to you, however your stated goal was to become involved in the industry as a locksmith... The Peterson course would not be of much benefit in that endeavor... You would do better trying to find a locksmith shop to take you on as an apprentice...

That being said -- is your only obstacle to applying for admission to a school like NBSS the tuition price ? If so, then you need to look into seeing what financial assistance is available to you from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts... A visit to your local office of the Massachusetts Department of Labor and Workforce Development and/or the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to see what assistance you might qualify for in changing careers is definitely in order before you rule out going to a school like NBSS... One of the functions of those two departments if providing Vocational rehabilitation and assisting those who are making a career change to a new industry after a lengthy career in a different field...

Best of luck in your quest...

~~ Evan

[nostromo]

Have you thought of attending ALOA in August and taking their 3 day Basic Locksmith course?

http://www.aloa.org/convention/pdf/ALOA ... _SHEET.pdf

Just a thought. There's enough going on you might be able to get a feel for what part of the trade you might best fall into. Auto lockouts? Auto Electronics? Forensics? Door work? Commercial work? Safes?

And you can rub elbows with people in the field - including industry leaders, meet a spread of vendors and see their products, challenge a certification exam or two, take some optional classes, and maybe do a little Orlando-ing. Learn about some of the systems from factory reps - like Medeco, Sargent, Falcon, Best, Pro-Key, Wizard, etc, etc, etc. Maybe even get factory certified by some of them.

And try out a one year membership in ALOA. I'm not going to jump on either side of certification or the ALOA membership fence or this thread will go wildly off topic. But if you want an experience that will saturate you with a wide experience and won't take forever, that would be my bet.

It'll run under $2,000, not including travel costs.