How to choose a course avoiding the rip offs

[Ermis]

I thought i leave a little advice for beginners to the field looking for Courses. There where a few numbers listed off specifying "only take a course if it can teach you to pick this list of specific locks" but being a locksmith is not just picking locks, there is so much more to our job that picking locks will only justify 5% of the business. Also picking locks comes with experience so don't asume the course will hand you a special talent that will automatically pick locks using your hands. There is a basic foundation to many different types of locks on the market, flat key, bit key, pinned cylinders, high security, the list can go on. Once you learn the foundation of how that lock works and you practice you will eventually begin opening every cylinder in it's class (minus the high security i listed).

This is my personal opinion on the matter. And also i would like to say the course you take is only as good as the mentor that follows to take you under his or her wing. If you luck out and find a good locksmith to train you on the job you might not even need a course, but a course will build a good foundation that will avoid your mentor getting annoyed with you over basic things like re-key's and so forth. if you take a course it will assist in avoiding your mentor getting annoyed at you with the basics.

Courses do not teach the following which is most of the business of a good locksmith.
Target hardening steel plates, full size custom astragals, door and heavy duty hinge installation/upgrade - how to messure everything properly, etc.
Knob protectors, interlocks, or latch guard (lp11 plates) installs.
Jamb Jackets, heavy duty strike reinforcements.
No Course teaches Adams Rite latch bolts, dead bolts or hook bolts (that i have seen) and this is the standard for most commercial store fronts aluminum doors.
The list goes on and what is not covered in the course will be learned through experience. Just remember what your courses teach you is only skimming the surface. Not many, if any courses will teach you to take apart file cabinet locks.

It's true there are plenty of scam courses from individuals who don't have any experience in the field. I have been a 24 hour locksmith for years and in my time i packed much more experience in my years then a regular tradesmen. Look for the right opportunity to suit your life style and enjoy the life as a locksmith, it's one of the best career hobbies in the world.

- Ermis

[Miami-Locksmith]

time and experience and good measure of Chutzpa carry a long way in this field. time is for learning, experience is for sharpening your talents and CHUTZPA is for letting yourself struggle with a difficult task for the first time with no prior knowledge.

[Pandawdy]

How do you guys feel about using the Foley Belsaw course to supplement what I already do?

I work for a company that does fire alarms, security alarms and access control. They don't know that I have an interest in locks, but on a resume, I think the Foley Belsaw course could really compliment security and access control.

I know the Foley Belsaw course also teaches some security and fire alarms, but I doubt I'd learn much beacuse I've already been doing it for almost a year and a half. But the info on mechanical locks I think would really help.

[Shrub]

If you are just after the knowledge then may i suggest you read this site top to bottom, you wont get any course, book or single person that will be able to teach you as much,

If you are after the qualifacation then the foley course is supposed to be quite good if a little dated (correct me if im wrong),
Quite what the qualifacation means i dont know as i have no experiance of it as i believe you can get a license by just applieing and paying a fee but i could also be wrong on that,

[Shrub]

You could also just do the read up on here and simply put it under your hobbies and interests instead of having it as a qualifacation,

[Pandawdy]

Here's another question about the Foley Belsaw course (and I guess this would apply to any mail order course):

Why haven't any of them moved their offerings to the internet? Is it because of time concerns? If I had the whole Foley course at one time, I'm confident I could complete it in two weeks in my spare time. But if I had to mail in a test and locks every so often, and wait even longer for more materials to be sent, I can see that easily becoming months.

Even if I had to wait for locks to be sent for my to practice on, an internet based course would go much faster and there would be no reason for an instructor to grade the test itself.. only the locks or keys to ensure the hands on portion had been done correctly.

I was playing around with a very popular and open source course management software recently and it could very easily be tailored to the Foley course. You could do the course online, have it done, and when they send the books just stick them in a binder.

[Shrub]

Only one person would pay,

All others after that would simply be given the password by others,

Digital stuff is far too easy to copy and paste, if the foley course went on the net it would loose credibility i reckon,

Being sent stuff through the post also makes sure you put the practice and study in on the parts you have instead of skimming through it and not learning anything,

[Pandawdy]

Shrub, I see what you mean. I know the course management software has some protection measures in place. I haven't looked thru it totally.

What about a free (or very inexpensive) online course put together by people here? The way that software works, only one person would have to upload it and get it running. Once it's installed, multiple people can then be added as teachers to create and edit courses.

[UWSDWF]

viewtopic.php?t=16003

theres one for a laugh and a 1/2 ...

[Pandawdy]

UWSDWF, I don't know if that was a joke or what.

What I was suggesting would be something meant to give a more structured way for someone to learn. That's all.

[UWSDWF]

I think it may be the closest thing that you'll ever get to what you're suggesting from this site.

[Shrub]

You have to realise this is a HOBBY and SPORT picking site NOT a site for locksmiths,

There is no need for a hobby picker to be qualified at all, as a bit of fun we did the test thing uwsdf linked to but as for setting up a training thing its never gogin to happen for varous reasons,

Im not quite sure what your problem is, there are courses out there that other use and have no problem with, they learn the stuff and get the certificate at the end of it,

Why are you wanting to suddenly rock the boat? the only thing i can think of is that your after a cheap and easy way of getting a certificate or somthing which im sure cant be the case as no-ones that stupid,


Let things be and just do the course, an online course has no merits at all and will certainly not hold any water with a potential employer or licensing beureu (sp?),

To try and explain a little differantly, an online course is the same as the cd's you get on ebay and will find itself on cd's on eaby within the month of it being released, it is also the same as the dvd's you can get, all crap and pointless if you want to become a lockie,

[Pandawdy]

I'm simply making suggestions. You don't have to attack me like that. If you don't think it's a good idea, just say so.

[Shrub]

If you refer to me then you read it wrong as i have in no way attacked you at all and that was not the intention,

[Sockeye89]

Foley will send you as many lesson's as you want. Just call'em and ask.