FAQ about becoming a locksmith.....

[holdemfold82]

Hello, my name is Kevin and this is my first post. I was inquiring about learning and to become a locksmith for a few days and have a few questions just so i'm not totally in the dark. I plan on getting a 10 dollar lock and take it apart later on today. A little about me i'm looking for a career change. I'm 23 years old and am a spam dealer and making about 30k a year, I'm going to try get into becoming a Poker Dealer and they recieve about 65k a year. I enjoy my job as I meet a lot of different people. But my wrist is starting to hurt and might be the starting signs of carpel tunnel. So if i'm going to make a career change, now is the time to do it. So now here comes the questions.
1. How long does the apprenticeship last?
2. How much income will I make when i'm fully able to go out on my own? (Not as in if I started a business, that depends marketing and such. But unsupervised.)
3. What's the general reception that you recieve when you help your customers out?
4. How long did it take you to become let's say comfortable about your skills? (I saw a website that has videos, and i'm sure the guy is great about teaching techniques through the video which seems fine but he claims you can start your business in 4 weeks sounds just a bit absurd.lol)

Well that's all the questions I have for now I looked into the phone book but instead of calling them i'd rather meet them face to face. My father told me a few hours ago that heknows a guy that does this as a second business. So if I had to learn somewhere.lol Well thanks for the time to read this so take care guys.

[Varjeal]

Greetings, Kevin, and welcome. Your first order of business should be to get that wrist checked out. If you have problems dealing cards, handling a drill while hefting a door closer and standing on a ladder at the same time isn't going to help you.

That said, before your questions can be adequately answered, we need to know what area of the world you are in.

The fact is that most areas don't have an official "apprenticeship" program.

The amount of money to be made depends on far too many factors to get into a complete discussion.

Generally, people look to locksmiths oftentimes as handypersons, while some look to them as security professionals.

As far as being comfortable in my personal skills, I know where my strengths lie, and and where my weakness' are. I'm not afraid to stretch either. That probably took me about 3 years of experience.

Locksmithing is much more than lockpicking, so keep up your search and study.

And as one ultra-famous person said, "That's all I have to say about that."

[holdemfold82]

Thanks for the reply and i've been on this site for about 3 hours and found an abundance of knowledge. I know there is money to be made, ofcourse that's not my main concern. I also live in Auburn, Washington State. I didn't know how many things are involved with being a locksmith. I guess it's the Angles thing that Jim Rose talks about. Learn the Angles. Actually it's a t.v. show called, "It Takes a Thief", that peaked an interest, and no it's not to be a thief but the exact opposite. Also, about the person you were talking about making 100,000 in a year with only 4 weeks training. It took me 3 months to become a dealer. Now if i'm making around $50,000 a year i'd be very happy. Thanks for the help I greatly appreciate it. I know it'll take time.

[LockNewbie21]

Hey buddy i am in your postition, except becoming a registered locksmith, my uncle mentioned he has a buddy in the FBI that does forensic locksmithing meaning if theres a break in you come to try and recreate what happened and what type of skill the person had and such to create an accurate layout and where to start investigating, i will need to bcome a ceritfied locksmith and advanced, i also have to take numurous criminal and forseic course's as well to be even looked at and also am going to attend the Reading police academy to become a basic police officer, they sound un related but i recieved a whole bunch of knowledge and they all interrelate to the job, my debts after schooling are going to be outragious, but making 200 grand to start and them 300 as i advance in years, it could be more, its just the fbi's generalized payment plan for this certain field, i guess the better you are the mroe you make, as i said i am in your postion and am in the dark about forensics and i havent even got a chance to glance at the advanced details in the next level class book.

Andy

[Raccoon]

1. How long does the apprenticeship last?
2. How much income will I make when i'm fully able to go out on my own? (Not as in if I started a business, that depends marketing and such. But unsupervised.)
3. What's the general reception that you recieve when you help your customers out?
4. How long did it take you to become let's say comfortable about your skills? (I saw a website that has videos, and i'm sure the guy is great about teaching techniques through the video which seems fine but he claims you can start your business in 4 weeks sounds just a bit absurd.lol)

There are many factors to each of your questions, and many of them have to do with general psychology. I will try to touch on some of these as I've experienced them.

Q. 3: How your customer receives you depends greatly on your appearance. Not just your physical appearance, but your professionalism as well. Being clean and dressed ready to work is important and easy to pull off, but self-confidence in answering questions and performing your work is equally important. Know what you are doing; or at very least, believe that you know what you are doing. You're not scamming your customer by running into a sticky situation while maintaining control. Confidence is key to problem solving. Never admit to being unsure of your work... just work through it, and find the solution.

Q. 4: There is no reason why you can't start work as soon as you are comfortable. If it takes you more than 4 weeks to reach that level, then I'm afraid you'll be in for a long wait. I took things apart as a kid, and grew up mechanically inclined. I also helped my dad remodel many houses, and he taught me how to pick locks when I was eight. So I started work as soon as I understood the mechanics of locks, hardware installation, and non-destructive bypass. For me, that was as soon as I purchased some tools and used them a few times. Does this make me a professional or a qualified locksmith? I guess that depends on who defines those words. All I can say is that I'm completely comfortable with my work, as a perfectionist, and I haven't had any complaints since I started 3 months ago.

Q. 1: I believe the only remaining professions where apprenticeship exists, is in carpentry and masonry work. America is all about being on your own and doing for yourself. Good luck!

Q. 2: "As much as you want to make." Note, how that sounds like it came from a training course advertisement. In fact, it is true. You will make as much as you want to make, because the skills in locksmithing are so diverse that you may never be capable of them all. The more you want to learn about locksmithing and security, the more you can make.

Learn about non-destructive entry so you can take lock-out calls and provide vehicle, residential and commercial let-ins. Learn about installation and repining so you can install, change, and re-key people's locks. Learn about master key systems so you can create and maintain master keys for businesses and institutions. Learn about all the thousands of hardware styles and finishes, types of residential and commercial locks, levers, handles, knobs, and every combination of mechanism available. There is a serious learning curve that closely resembles your potential income curve... so quite simply the more you learn, the more you will make.

Admittedly, I lose a lot of work due to inexperience with automotive locks-- reading wafers to make car keys out of thin air, and replacing door and ignition locks are 2 of the most popular requests that I get calls for, and have to turn them down and recommend they contact their dealer or repair shop.

[holdemfold82]

Hey Varjeal, Lock Newbie21 and Raccoon thanks or your insight. Lock Newbie, sounds like your focused and came make a good income doing that good luck. I remember my dad got a bachelors degree in criminal justice. Tried to get in forensics. Didn't get it though he was older and a lot of police officers who are injured in the field get that option first so if you get iujured being a cop you got that to fall back on.(you wanted tat anyways.lol) Varjeal thanks for the answers i'm thinking i should do more research and then go to some locksmith/sercurity professionals and tag along with them to learn. Raccoon, thanks for the answers and tips that I should follow. Man your dad started you early.lol I remember yesterday i bought a doorknob and my friend and I were looking at it and taking it apart and seeing all the moving parts. It was awesome. The only thing that i didn't get to see is the inside of the lock. I took it off of the doorknob and saw one spring and the metal top that you can push the springs down on, But i actually learned a few things that surprised me. But hey guys thanks for the tips and advice. and I'll keep on reading. Take care.

[Raccoon]

No problem. Do read the MIT Guide to Lockpicking-- link listed in the sticky posts. It contains a wealth of starter information including diagrams so you can see how these locks work.

If I ever make it to Seattle, we'll have to play some poker.

[holdemfold82]

Thanks Raccoon and anytime. The funny thing about dealers are that most of them are action junkies. I've been dealing about 3 years now and I can't believe what I've gambled on.lol I'm slowing down now. But it seems like that if you work at a spam then it's almost a right of passage if your old enough to gamble. Also i'll read the MIT Guide to lockpicking. There's a lot of things that come from MIT also they have the MIT Blackjack team one of the most famous and precise cardcounters in the world. I've been reading in the forums and it seems that safes are the hardest work that there is for a locksmith. And why are so secretive about it? Looks like good money and fun if I can ever learn that but i'm goin to wait at least 6 months to a year until I get the basics down. Well talk to you guys later.