No experience. . what to do??

[SoMotivated10]

So I have been studying locksmithing for a few months now and the material is becoming a bit harder to understand. I went from 90's to 70's in my grades. I am more of a hands on learner and the more technical the materials become, the tougher it is to understand.

I work a dead end job for the past 4 years making the same salary I had after getting my first promotion. I bust my ass and the company doesnt give in to raises for anyone. I make 13 an hour bring home 400 a week. I live on my own so most of that goes for bills and to take care of myself.

If you have no locksmithing experience, what is the reality of actually being hired? Im guessing if I am lucky to be hired, then I will make 10 bucks an hour sweeping the floor and cutting keys. .

Maybe im wrong?

Or do I try to get an internship, work without pay somewhere until I am experienced enough? But wouldnt that be a liability for the company and how likely is that for me to get an internship?

Every number I find in the yellowpages for locksmiths in my area happen to be dispatch numbers/addresses. Im guessing the majority of locksmiths are mobile locksmiths which doesnt help.

Am i thinking very negative or does my assumptions sound realistic?

The frustration is making me feel like I should not focus locksmithing to be a full time career but rather learn it to maybe be apart of it part time for extra money down the road.

I really am lost on how to find a job, with no experience and needing a certain salary to survive on.

Can anyone please help?

[Evan]

@SoMotivated10:

That does suck about not getting any increases in pay in several years... However, $13/hour is almost twice the minimum wage and it is by your own admission only supporting yourself...

Just south of where I live across the state line, there is terrible unemployment... The "official" numbers are improving but only because people are "aging out" of unemployment as they collect their maximum allowable benefits and become ineligible for additional payments... Functionally, 1 out of every 5 people who could be working aren't right now because of the job market... So before I offer any additional advice here, count your blessings that you have a job that pays twice minimum wage...

Your concerns about being relegated to cutting keys and sweeping floors is a valid one... Doing that for $10/hour is pretty good money though... That is more than a hardware store would pay to employ you doing the same things... That would all depend on the style of the locksmith who owns the business, some are looking to expand their service capacity and might pair you up with one of their more experienced field techs right away so you start learning from day one as you carry tools and fetch parts from the truck in addition to cutting keys in the service van...

Have you checked with the labor and training agency in New Jersey for any potential apprenticeship opportunities in the field ? Such agency could also help you with job retraining opportunities if you are fed up with what you are doing now...

How do you know the numbers you are calling from the Yellow Pages are for real locksmiths and not a boiler room dispatch center for the rip-off lock techs who quote one price then gouge the client out of another once they have broken or need to drill a lock... You should look for the ads which indicate a long running business and go visit their shop in person to speak with the owner/manager/principle partner...

Another possible opportunity is to put out feelers at colleges and universities in your general area as all of them with a student body of more than a couple of thousand students will have several institutional locksmiths working on campus in their in-house lock shop... You would need to look for such openings but they do occasionally pop up sometimes so you have to keep an eye out for them...

What is the "certain salary" you nee to survive on ? I have found that when I hear people saying that sort of thing that they could make different choices and save money if they looked things from a different approach... Do you have any malls or hospitals in your area ? Such facilities are generally always looking for security employees to work the overnight shift which is the hardest shift to fill with reliable staff...

If you would like to discuss your situation privately, shoot me a PM on the forum here or an e-mail by clicking that "e-mail button" in any of my postings on LP101 and I will help you in whatever way I can...

~~ Evan

[yono]

Evan, that was an honest and encouraging words pal.. no salary raise? hah! you wont believe how long ive been here without that..and i wont beg for it either. patience, confidence, and keep on learning is my way, discovering of what i still incapable of in my field, and always looking for ways, to advance to reach my goal. "THERE'S NO LOSERS FROM A NON QUITER". (except smoking habit issue.)

[SoMotivated10]

Hey Evan, did you receive my email by chance? I sent it from my blackberry.

[Evan]

Hey Evan, did you receive my email by chance? I sent it from my blackberry.

@SoMotivated10:

I just sent my reply, it took a while to write...

Let me know if it didn't go through for whatever reason...

~~ Evan

[SALocksmith]

Get any security/locksmith job you can, get your foot in the door, break into the industry. If it means working for a local "car unlock service" or a Home security installation service (ADT, etc), or a door company (that does mostly commercial doors), any of these area's will be invaluable experiance down the line, even if they are not actually "locksmith" jobs. it's a stepping stone to getting a "real" locksmith job. Sweeping floors and cutting keys for 10 bucks an hour sounds terrible, but you will learn alot doing this. It takes years to just learn all of the key blanks, a long with other things that come with this kind of job, like re-pinning locks, picking, impressioning, and perhaps some auto work, in my shop people bring in alot of old car locks, from 70's, 80's and 90's models. We also get alot of work from local "body shops" for cars, people bring in their vandalized vehicles and those body shops bring us un-coded ignitions and door locks.

This is not an easy path, you really have to want it, I don't think it's a good "part time" job. Not if your serious, it's all or nothing.

[compromizer]

Teach yourself the basics. Heres a good book: http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Loc ... 0071448292

If you can get yourself trained enough to know the basics, you will be more likely to get hired on.