[quote]Quote:
Originally Posted by sinister
The Army Marksmanship Unit hires many gunsmiths out of Trinidad.
Methinks someone is confused ???[/quote]
I commanded the USAMU. The Chief Gunsmith worked for me. He hired them. They went to Basic Training but AIT was waived as they already had a job-specific trade.
Gunsmiths can advance to Sergeant First Class. If they wished to advance to higher rank then they left the unit for the needs of the Army.
This falls under the scope of Mechanical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Education is like a tree. Leaves are very specific job skills, the trunk would be something like majoring in “general studies” at a 4-year university (so general as to be almost meaningless). You want to be out on a nice branch that gets you access to all the little twigs and leaves you might be interested in. Starting your post-high school education with a gunsmithing certificate is like starting on a leaf, and you are really going to limit yourself if a career in smithing doesn’t work out.
I’m not saying don’t follow the gunsmithing dream, but there are ways of going about it that will leave more options open to you if things don’t work out. The most direct path is not always the best one.
Be careful if you go the MET route, not all MET programs are the same, some are a glorified CAD degree, others are an ME program with a few different books.
The rest of the advice is perfect, what I wanted to say but couldnt.
Well, there was the shooting range that we did our academy training at…but back then I really didn’t know/care about the difference between a public and a private range, so i don’t really know which it was, BUT…Trinidad being where it is (meaning isolated), I am fairly certain that there are areas not too far away “in the woods” where you can shoot to your hearts content.
Mr. Clean and E-Guns and others imparted some very good advice.
Don’t Limit yourself right-out of the gate. ALWAYS have a back-up plan, especially when it comes to an education.
If you have an interest in gunsmithing that’s great. But, you don’t need a degree to be one. Many large Organizations have Armorers who are sent-off to maufacturers schools and then are those who learn on the job “apprenticeships” such as was already mentioned.
Do yourself a favor and look into a few different colleges before you make any definitive decisions and speak with a school counselor at your school or at one of the colleges you are considering attending.
If you are greatly interested in a technical career and believe that financially the cost may be out of reach, then the Armed Services may also be an option as well. Particularly, the Air Force or the Navy where you can obtain training and/ or a degree in a variety of technical vocations.
But, don’t rule-out financial assistance/ grants as well. Even, if you are not in a generally considered under represented group there are many scholarships/ grant programs out there for college students.
And as was already said, at 16 years of age you have some time. Consider all of your choices carefully.
Lastly, as an adult who has spent most of his adult years in college or Graduate School the best advice I could impart to you is to obtain a degree in a general field which is MARKETABLE. I went to school with a few individuals who majored in Art Appreciation, Liberal Arts, or some other silly major and had difficulty in finding employment.
I ended-up working in the Public Sector/ Government and though I studied Politics/ Public Policy in school. To do it over, I would have obtained a BA in Business Administration and then a JD or Masters in Business Admin. (MBA) because after working in government a general business oriented degree is much more marketable, particularly for a high level position at the corporate level in a private industry organization.
Best of Luck,
SkiDevil
P.S. I have personally met many unemployed or under-employed ‘Gunsmiths.’ So, having a back-up to fall on like others suggested is wise to consider.
NRA Whittington range is just outside of Raton NM. Only 40 mi. or so, one of the best ranges in the world, or so I’m told. FWIW
Pine City, Minnesota.
Did you click on the link at the top of my first post?
I was not meaning that YOU were the confused one. I meant that the idea that you cannot learn gunsmithing at a community or junior college was obviously mistaken since you said that the Army hired gunsmiths from such a program.
As a mechanical engineer myself, I might have a biased opinion, but I would encourage you to take a hard look at becoming an ME. It covers so many fields and applications that you almost never run out of backup options. I would also tell you to stay away from a ME Tech degree as well. It is not viewed in the same way that a straight up ME degree is.
Good luck to you in any case.
True, MET is not as highly sought after or versatile as ME, but an MET degree from a university with good program is far from useless. MET would be something for the OP to look at if his abilities don’t lend themselves to ME coursework (i.e., mechanically savvy, but not strong at math). I agree that ME is something he should take a long hard look at first.
MrCleanOK
Mechanical Engineer
Not all MET programs are created equal, nor do all states recognize the ability of an MET to take the FE and PE exams, but either is in my opinion the best answer to what the OP wants to do.
orionz06
mech. engineer