I never wanted to be a locksmith! Boy that feels good to finally get that off my chest. When I was growing up I always dreamed of being a teacher, a psychiatrist, a lawyer, an accountant, a writer, a TV/radio personality, ANYTHING but a locksmith. I didn’t even know what a locksmith was or have the slightest clue what one did. It is a little known trade that it is often overlooked when young people are playing the game of chance with their career choice. Me included!
Many locksmiths are locksmiths because that is what their dad did his whole life and the trade has just been passed down through the generations. Lucky for me, my dad didn’t have any boys to pass his knowledge down to so I got to hang around the shop during my teenage years and make some spending money sweeping floors and vacuuming key machines. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life and that it wouldn’t be long before I was on to bigger and better things.
Now fast forward 23 years to today and I am still here. Things sure have changed over the years and I have seen many things that I never thought I would see. Yes, I am the one you called in the middle of the night when you decided to go skinny dipping in your hot tub and the door accidently locked behind you. I have stood at a door picking a lock, surrounded by police officers with guns drawn at 2am because the person inside refused to open the door.
The truth about being a locksmith is that you are not just a locksmith. You are whatever you need to be at any given time. I have learned to wear a number of hats under the “locksmith” umbrella.
I am a teacher….
I spend a good part of my day teaching. I teach new locksmiths the tricks of the trade. I teach customers about products to protect their home. I will teach you how to program your phone to unlock your door. I will teach you to program you new fancy car key. I will also teach you how to lock up your house to keep the aliens from coming in and stealing your Tupperware. I came right back over with my tinfoil on hat when you call me to tell me they brought your Tupperware back but have now stolen all the lids. I patiently taught you the differences in Tupperware protection and lid protection. I am a teacher!
I am a psychiatrist ….
I see people when they are at their worst. I have at least one person a day call me or come into the store in tears. I have opened doors to check on loved ones that haven’t been heard from in a few days to find them passed away. I have cried along side of my customers and been a shoulder to cry on. I am the one you call when you are too embarrassed to call anyone else because you lost the keys to the handcuffs that you used to handcuff your husband to the headboard. I will rush right over to unlock the trunk of your car after your son managed to lock himself inside. I promise that I will be interested in the pyramids that you are building out of key shavings to remove ions from the ground water to prevent illness. I will save all my key shavings so I can help you with your quest! You can call me anytime of the day to help you out of a jam without judgement. Your secret is safe with a locksmith. I am a psychiatrist!
I am a lawyer…. well sort of….
Locksmiths are often called into court rooms to act as expert witnesses after a crime has occurred. We get to present facts and let a jury decide on a verdict. We can tell exactly what happened to a lock and what kind of tool was used to do it with very little effort. You may try to trick us but we know the truth, we are professionals. This will be as close as I get to becoming a lawyer but it works for me!
I am an accountant….
Most locksmiths work in small family run shops which means we all must learn a certain amount of book keeping skills. There is no escaping that part of the job. I would rather be working directly with my customers than entering numbers into a computer and staring at paper work all day. My dream to be an accountant no longer exists, I quickly learned how much I hate math. I am an accountant unfortunately!
I am a writer….
The website people said that we needed a blog. That sounded like a great idea to me! I have to be honest, when they started talking about SEO and key words, I tuned them out! When they said “BLOG” and I said “YES” I had no idea what I was getting into. I didn’t know that they meant that *I* had to write it. I kept putting it off because I really didn’t know how to do it. I searched the internet trying to get tips and ideas. That was as stupid idea! Do you have any idea how many blog articles there is out there about writing a blog article? Check it out. Seriously, go to Google and type in “how to write a blog article?”. A friend told me “be like Nike and Just Do It!”. I know I don’t do it as often as I should but the dream of becoming a writer has disappeared. I guess now I am a writer too!
I have been on TV and Radio….
Not exactly a “personality” but close enough for me. I have been interviewed on radio and TV to discuss the mail theft problems and solutions. It really is an honor to get those phone calls and to be accepted as an expert in preventing mail theft.
I AM A LOCKSMITH!!!!
Looking back on the past 23 years I wouldn’t change a thing! In a roundabout way I get to be all the things that I always wanted to be. I AM PROUD TO BE A LOCKSMITH!
