Thank you for the video! I was talking with my fiance about whether it was worth doing the handgun course after I complete the gunsmithing course. You gave me my answer! I think it goes more indepth and definitely worth the time and money. Knowledge is power! Super appreciate the work you put on making this video!
@@Bowman520 from what I'm told the muzzleloader is just in the associates program? You'd have to ask Owen or CJ to verify that because I haven't done the cert class
The general consensus I get from my time in SDI is that like you said even by the end of the Associates program you won't be a "master", but a Journeyman at best. So if you've spent most of your life around firearms and already have a pretty good grasp on most of the concepts that SDI tries to teach you. Then you're probably not going to care much for it. But people like me who only have a basic understanding of firearms, (I've only been a gun owner personally for about a year now) have a lot more to gain from these classes. I don't know, I see pros and cons.
I agree, both pro's and cons. Also, like you said, someone that has been doing it for 20 years won't learn anything, but they should be master by that time anyway. Thanks for watching and for your thoughts.
@@TheEyeofthestorm97 I'm 40 years old, have been around firearms my entire life, and have quite the stamp collection. While I'm sure newer/younger people learned more new things than I did, there were still LOTS of opportunities for me to learn things that I had not experienced yet. You get out of it what you put into it. Will it guarantee you a job as a master gunsmith? Absolutely not. It's a certificate or an Associates at best, you have to build on top of the experience from there. Seek out more armorers courses from different manufacturers, learn more aspects of the industry that you may want to do. Not everyone in the industry needs Lathe or CNC experience. The amount of people I see complain about not being taught hands on machining from a distance learning program is absurd. Be realistic.
I am a victim of a different predatory school. There's an important distinction. Predatory schools do teach you things. You may learn a lot and it may be useful information. It just won't make you employable at face value. Gun industry professionals do not respect SDI, so a degree will not help you get a better and higher paying job than basic mechanical skills. The jobs available besides self employment have on the job training. The barrier for employment to those jobs is lower than an SDI degree so you could get those iobs without one. Spend less money and get a technical degree from any community college in machining such as CNC, lathe operator. You'll make more money unless your goal is to be self employed. The most successful gun smiths run their own enterprise and get customers by taking classes and otherwise networking within the shooting community as shooters.
That may be your experience. I was offered work, before I even finished. My CJ and my other degree have been worthless to me. After owning my own business in the past, it is the only way I will ever go again. Thank you for your thoughts.
@@Bowman520 what was your title and entry pay, and what was your prior work experience before SDI? Remember that most grads are early 20's or post military career GI bill. I own a 2A company and attend SHOT and NRA as a vendor. I have 3 years of pro level industry experience as an owner and have been shooting since 2015 in competition and practical defensive training.
@@Bowman520wow. No. I'm saying I'm the guy who hires and I'm the guy who talks about SDI in the industry. I theorize that you got a better opportunity because you had work experience besides SDI. I theorize that students who do not have additional work experience besides military service and an SDI degree will not get the same offer as you, thus SDI was not the differentiator on paper between those that do and those that do not get offers immediately out of SDI. Please provide counter points. Change my view.
@@nick3d155 that can be said for pretty much any trade school though. Go to NADC or any of the automotive/diesel trade schools. You aren't guaranteed anything. You get out of it what you put into it. The student who just studies, just passes the tests and graduates will not have the same industry opportunities as those that have done extra, networked, made friends and contacts that are in the industry, have a portfolio of work they've built showing work completed and level of skill, had conversations with instructors that will give references and possibly turn you towards a company that may be a good fit for you etc. will PSA higher you with or without a cert from SDI? Sure. Will you be better prepared than the average bubba that's assembled a couple ARs on his kitchen table? Absolutely, so long as you did the work and learned the material. What's your industry company, if I may ask? I know people in the industry with no formal education making 6 figures a year, I also know certified material engineers that make significantly more.
The question I have is, why can't we find work? Can't even get the gun barn at Rural King to give a call back. I'm going to have to build my own business from scratch because jobs are not forthcoming.
If I may offer food for thought...It is always very difficulty to get your foot in the door with just a certification or degree. Look at people coming out of college with a 4 year degree with no experience in their field and no hope for a job. It is not just the gun industry. Also, I believe SDI offers assistance with job placement. You may want to reach out to them for that. If you are willing to move, I would encourage you to look on USAJOBs and search for Small Arms technician openings. They have quite a few and very often. You can google the job description, but you will inspect and repair firearms from the M17, M4s, M240s variants, M2 variants, AK47s, M14s, MK19, Karl Gustav, NVGs, M249s and now all the new weaponary is coming out so you will get trained on those as well. But opening a business is a great way to get in to it as well. Keep your chin up and never give up trying....it will come
"Because jobs are not forthcoming." The entitlement is astounding. Finding work straight out of school is never guaranteed. Likely, you'd have to build up a portfolio before employers will consider you seriously, especially if you're trying to get hired as a gunsmith and not just a retailer/RSO. Same with machinists and welders. It also depends on the individual business and your area if there's work available for what you're trying to do. A&P Mechanics and Machinists are a dime a dozen in Kansas, they won't find work out of school unless they leave the state. Many FFLs don't want to hire gunsmiths because it's an extra level of liability they have to cover. Whether you like it or not, gun stores always have a stack of applications, mostly full of ignorant kids and fudds that want to work in a gun store because they think it's cool but don't know anything. Congratulations, you're dealing with the same reality as 99% of every person that goes through college or a tech school. You graduated and now it's the long game of trying to find work.
The school literally recommends starting up your own firearms business as a side hustle, financing yourself for growth, and gaining experience to expand upon services offered. You should try entrepreneurship, it’s what makes this place great anyways.
@@svenjohnson3788 So, according to you it is an "entitlement" to expect to be able to obtain an entry level job in the industry with a college degree in the field? So there is no point in "higher education" whatsoever? If a degree can't get you a foot in the door, it is provably useless is it not?
