by Eyes_Only » 9 Feb 2008 14:01
The pay will depend from shop to shop and area to area but I started about 6 months ago at $8 so you'll be looking at minimum wage in the beginning. I know a shop in Pasadena thats doing so well that some of their guys get paid $24 an hour who have been with the shop for over 6 years.
As for certification, I think if you look in the ALOA.org site they have a list somewhere of all the states that require licensing and certifications. But most states don't have state licensing requirements and I know of no state that requires you to be certified. Plus for the first couple years as a trainee you probably won't have to worry about that.
If you're really interested and passionate about locks and locksmithing and not just into lockout jobs then yeah, go for it. Its a great trade to be in. Always learning something new and you'll never get bored if you don't become complacent. Hope that helps.
If a lock is a puzzle, then its key is the complete picture
