Careers ???

[Coug_AR]

Alright, well Im a college student, who has no clue what his direction is in life.
All I know, is that I LOVE guns and bullets. Im thinking about taking up the trade of Gunsmithing. But unsure about....well everything about it, really. What schooling there is, what the pay is like, the availability of careers, and so on. I have done some researching on the net, but seems pretty dry. Also thinking about, studing ballistics. Yet again, know nothing about what it takes and what not. I was hopeing maybe some of yall have some advice, first hand, second hand, what ever. Appreciate your time.

-Roy

[metalhead357]

FWIW~ If'n I could do it all over again I'd of definitely chosen something in either math, science, or the "true" hardcore computer engineering/programming.....money is still there and will be for a while. Nothing says you cant get an engineering degree and start your own weapons design factory............... Just please hire me as a freebie product tester who gets to keep whatever ya' send me to test

If not them above, then maybe law or medicine.............. also still lucrative if'n you like insane hours and tons of that filthy lucre

[grammaton76]

Don't go into IT, whatever you do. The market's better than it was, but it's still not good - the guys in India have most of the entry level positions locked out of the US market, so getting experience is tough. It's decently easy to get a job if you HAVE experience already, but it's a catch-22 getting into it.

Get into something that'll always have a market - the medical field is good at that, and of course so is law enforcement.

[ohsmily]

Alright, well Im a college student, who has no clue what his direction is in life.
All I know, is that I LOVE guns and bullets. Im thinking about taking up the trade of Gunsmithing. But unsure about....well everything about it, really. What schooling there is, what the pay is like, the availability of careers, and so on. I have done some researching on the net, but seems pretty dry. Also thinking about, studing ballistics. Yet again, know nothing about what it takes and what not. I was hopeing maybe some of yall have some advice, first hand, second hand, what ever. Appreciate your time.

-Roy

Where do you attend college?

[glen avon]

go to midwayusa and see about careers. or one of the bigger companies, i.e., sierra, hodgdon, etc.

[tzahoy]

Sounds like you might be interested in becoming a mechanical engineer. Get a job as a machinist's apprentice while you are going through school, if you are diligent and work hard, and have a little mechanical aptitude, you'll be running machines on your own in no time. That experience will pay off for the rest of your career.

There will be an incredible amount of options open to you from medical to defense to semiconductor, even gunsmithing and who knows what else will be out there in few years.

The sciences are where it's at. Technology is prgressing at an astounding rate and we have way too many marketing and business type people in this country and not enough scientists to keep them employed. Combine your mechanical engineering degree with a physics degree and you will be an incredibly employable person.

Good Luck!

[paradox]

Instead of ME & physics, think about ME & Statistics. Making sense of numerical data will always be in demand no matter where your interests take you. Everything from modern manufacturing to national policy decisions are dependent on gathering valid statistics and inferring useful information from them.

[saber]

I would strongly suggest some kind of engineering including civil or mechanical. As a country, we have a significant deficit of engineers. It is my understanding that we have a yearly deficit of engineers of all types. In the civil engineering field, there are thousands of openings across the state which are open in the private and public sector.

I work for a company that does Traffic Engineering (a subset of civil engineering) and really enjoy it.

One aspect of the civil engineering field is the sense of accomplishment in getting something built. I can go out to a shopping center or a roadway project that I worked on a say that I had a hand in that.

[mltrading]

Sounds like you might be interested in becoming a mechanical engineer. Get a job as a machinist's apprentice while you are going through school, if you are diligent and work hard, and have a little mechanical aptitude, you'll be running machines on your own in no time. That experience will pay off for the rest of your career.

There will be an incredible amount of options open to you from medical to defense to semiconductor, even gunsmithing and who knows what else will be out there in few years.

The sciences are where it's at. Technology is prgressing at an astounding rate and we have way too many marketing and business type people in this country and not enough scientists to keep them employed. Combine your mechanical engineering degree with a physics degree and you will be an incredibly employable person.

Good Luck!

+1

Maybe we can have "Roy" brand receivers and loaded ammo in the future?

[hung380]

i would go for mechanical engineer as a career and be a machinist/ cnc programmer as a side job. Most of the mechanical engineers that i know only deals with calcuators and graph papers. Machinist/Manufacturing engineers that i know are very creative when it comes to designing things.

[wookie1976]

Sounds like you might be interested in becoming a mechanical engineer. Get a job as a machinist's apprentice while you are going through school, if you are diligent and work hard, and have a little mechanical aptitude, you'll be running machines on your own in no time. That experience will pay off for the rest of your career.

There will be an incredible amount of options open to you from medical to defense to semiconductor, even gunsmithing and who knows what else will be out there in few years.

The sciences are where it's at. Technology is prgressing at an astounding rate and we have way too many marketing and business type people in this country and not enough scientists to keep them employed. Combine your mechanical engineering degree with a physics degree and you will be an incredibly employable person.

Good Luck!

+1 on that.

As a mechanical myself, one of the most useful things I have in my own mental toolbox is the ability to work in a shop environment. You would be surprised how many engineers have little to no experience with things like welding, machining, and fabrication.

I also strongly recommend taking electives in electrical engineering. Most machines today require some form of electrical power or monitoring. Aside from my mechanical knowledge, I use this skill the most.

The last thing on the list is to gain a strong background in writing and communication. Learn it, live it, know it. I hate writing, but have realized that nothing will hold you back more in your job growth than poor communication skills. Unfortunately, this seems to come with the engineering territory. You cannot just make something and not explain how it works or how to use it. Same goes with email correspondence.

Math, statistics, physics...minor or take electives in any of the following. All will be useful, but from what you appear to have indicated, you want to be hands on. Your time would be better spent with an apron on and a set of calipers in your hand.

[islandchanel]

Depending where you live im in a apprentice program through the goverment as a Aircraft electrician. They also have positions as an apprentice machinist, pneudraulics, mechanic, and electronics. If your interested I can give you the website.

[PLINK]

What ever you decide on doing make sure there is a job for what you have studied.

Law enforcement - LEO
Law School - Lawyer
Med School - Doctor
Nursing School - Nurse

You get the idea.

If you want to have a career for life get into a healthcare profession. If you want a really good job, one that you can get in all 50 states, and one there is a shortage of, look into Radiology (x-ray) school. Make sure the school is for FULL licensed Radiology techs. Most schools are about 2 years long and usually require pre reqs. before admittance. Upon completion you will have to take a registry test which if you pass will allow you to work in most if not all states. I think a very few states require their own license. CA does but you just show them you national license and just pay for the CA license. The starting average pay is currently $25 an hour w/ full benefits in the Sac area. Just a idea.

[shopkeep]

Law Enforcement is an EXCELLENT and VERY LUCRATIVE career in California.

The compensation package is unbeatable and simply doesn't exist in the free market. For starters most LEOs make between $3,100 - $6,000 per month. Yes, this isn't as much as an attorney or some other proffessionals but then comes the benefits:

1. Lifetime CCW with NO limits as to what weapons you can carry off duty in all 50 states!
2. Retire at 90% top salary with full benefits for your whole family (this is AWESOME... just move out of state with a CA wage scale retirement!)
3. FULL PAID medical benefits for your whole family
4. Initially you get almost two weeks paid vacation per year and in many agencies by the time you've worked 10+ years this extends to 30 days paid vacation!

[phish]

We need more engineers for sure. One of the trade magazines I read shows a declining number of engineering graduates while China and India are on the rise.

Think of it as a national economic security issue.