Pros and Cons of Working as a Locksmith

You think about becoming a locksmith?

Make sure to have a look at all the pros and cons of being a locksmith in this article first to avoid common mistakes in this regard!

Locksmith Job Profile

Advantages of Being a Locksmith

1. Solid job security for locksmiths
2. Locksmiths are in high demand right now
3. Locksmiths will be needed for many years to come
4. Locksmiths can work with their hands
5. Locksmiths see the end result of their work rather quickly
6. Locksmiths stay fit at work
7. Locksmiths are not at great risk of being overweight
8. You don’t need a degree for becoming a locksmith
9. You can start making money at a rather young age
10. Locksmiths work indoors most of the time
11. You can do an important job for society
12. You don’t have to deal with lots of time pressure
13. You can work in an independent manner
14. Easy to start your own business as a locksmith
15. You can make good money during weekends and at nighttime
16. Working as a locksmith is not dangerous
17. You are not at great risk of burnout as a locksmith
18. You can build a strong network of people
19. Locksmiths can decide how much they want to work
20. Proven business model
21. You will not be vulnerable to economic downturns

Solid job security for locksmiths

One advantage of working as a locksmith is that locksmiths have pretty decent job security.

Due to growing world population and the housing boom, many locksmiths are needed to install, repair and open locks and you therefore don’t have to worry about losing your job much.

Locksmiths are in high demand right now

Since Locksmiths are in high demand right now, you will also find a new job pretty easily in case you lose your job for various reasons and will be less likely to get into financial difficulties compared to taxi drivers or other people who have much worse job prospects.

Locksmiths will be needed for many years to come

Locksmiths are not only in high demand right now, but population will be growing for many years or even decades and this means that also overall demand for locksmithing work will increase and you will therefore have great job prospects for many years to come.

Locksmiths can work with their hands

Another upside to working as a locksmith is that you can work with your hands and don’t have to work with a computer in a classical office environment all day long which can significantly improve your mood during your workday since you will get more opportunities to move in a physical manner instead of just sitting in your office chair for your entire workday.

Locksmiths see the end result of their work rather quickly

When you work as a locksmith, you also see the results of your labor rather quickly.

In fact, you can make many clients happy on a daily basis and this can really give you a feeling of appreciation so that you can stay happy and motivated with your job for many years.

Locksmiths stay fit at work

Since working as a locksmith is physically demanding, you can also stay fit at work and don’t have to go to the gym as many other people working in classical office jobs often have to do to stay in shape.

Locksmiths are not at great risk of being overweight

Since you will burn lots of calories during work, you will also be not at significant risk of becoming overweight or even obese but can rather maintain your good looks for many years.

You don’t need a degree for becoming a locksmith

Another benefit of becoming a locksmith is that you also don’t need a fancy degree for working in this profession.

While many other people have to go to college for many years, you can save lots of time and money in this regard and can start your locksmith career right after finishing high school.

You can start making money at a rather young age

While many of your friends who want to go to college have to learn for many years, you as a locksmith will be able to start making money at a rather young age and can become independent of your parents pretty early in your life.

Locksmiths work indoors most of the time

As a locksmith, you will also have the luxury of working indoors most of the time while garbage collectors and many other people have to work outdoors during times of bad weather.

You can do an important job for society

Locksmiths also do a pretty important job for society since they will often be available 24/7 to open your door in case of emergency and therefore make sure that our economy and our social system can work as efficiently as possible.

You don’t have to deal with lots of time pressure

Another reason to become a locksmith is that you also don’t have to deal with lots of time pressure at work.

Instead, you can work in a calm and focused manner until you have finished your work while investment bankers and many other people who work in demanding office jobs often have to finish presentations and other things within a rather short period of time and have lots of stress in this regard.

You can work in an independent manner

If you work in key service, you can also spend your workday in a rather independent manner.

Instead of having a boss looking over your shoulder all day long as in many other jobs, you will have a certain feeling of freedom and will have lots of discretion regarding how to do your work.

Easy to start your own business as a locksmith

Since there are no huge upfront costs, you can also start your career in lockout services rather easily and can build your own business rather quickly without having to make huge financial commitments upfront.

You can make good money during weekends and at nighttime

While locksmiths usually don’t make good money, they can still make pretty decent money during nighttime and weekends where people are willing to spend lots of money if you open their doors and if you are flexible regarding your working hours, you may also be able to make decent money on the side.

Working as a locksmith is not dangerous

Compared to policemen or other people who have to risk their lives on a daily basis, working as a locksmith is also pretty safe and your loved ones therefore don’t have to worry about your well-being at work as often as in case you would have chosen a riskier profession.

You are not at great risk of burnout as a locksmith

Since locksmiths can often work on their own terms and have lots of discretion regarding how they want to do their job while their job is also not extremely stressful, they are also not at great risk of burnout or other mental health problems.

You can build a strong network of people

Since you will work in the client business, you will also meet many people from different social classes and this gives you the opportunity to build a strong network of people in the long run which can be really beneficial for your private and professional life.

Locksmiths can decide how much they want to work

If you work self-employed, you can also decide how much you want to work as a locksmith and can increase and reduce working hours according to your own taste.

Proven business model

Working as a locksmith has been a proven business model for many decades and chances are that you will also be able to make a decent living in the future from this profession, at least if you are smart and are also willing to work hard.

You will not be vulnerable to economic downturns

Locksmiths are also needed during times of economic downturns and you therefore don’t have to worry during financial crisis situations since people will still need your help during those times and you will therefore have solid job security no matter what happens to the world.

As you can see, there are many reasons for working as a locksmith.

However, it is still not all upside and we also have to talk about all the issues that come along with working as a locksmith in the following so that you can make a profound decision regarding whether you still want to become a locksmith or rather want to work in a different field instead.

Disadvantages of Working as a Locksmith

1. Working as a locksmith is physically demanding
2. Many locksmiths have to quit their careers early
3. Hard to make good money as a locksmith
4. Locksmiths don’t have a high social standing
5. Locksmiths often have to work on weekends
6. Locksmiths frequently work at nighttime
7. Work-life balance for locksmiths is rather poor
8. Limited promotion opportunities for locksmiths
9. You may get bored working as a locksmith in the long run
10. Many locksmiths need a second job to survive
11. You may suffer from old-age poverty
12. You will not be able to afford many nice things
13. Hard to provide for your family as a locksmith
14. Clients may be annoying
15. Locksmiths often suffer from sleeping problems
16. Not the best job if you have a family
17. You have to be flexible as a locksmith
18. Your schedule will change quite a lot
19. Hard to make a real impact as a locksmith
20. You may have to deal with big income swings
21. Locksmiths can’t work remotely

Working as a locksmith is physically demanding

One downside to working as a locksmith is that you will have to work in a physically demanding environment and if you don’t like working with your hands and also don’t have talent for it, chances are that you will be better off working as an accountant or in a different profession instead.

Many locksmiths have to quit their careers early

You should also know that due to physical health problems related to their jobs, many locksmiths also have to quit their careers early and may get into serious financial problems once they get older and are no longer able to work anymore.

Hard to make good money as a locksmith

Most locksmiths also don’t make really good money and if your goal is to get rich, you should rather become a dentist or judge instead.

Locksmiths don’t have a high social standing

While locksmiths do an important job for society, they still have a rather low social standing and some people may even belittle or make fun of your work.

Locksmiths often have to work on weekends

Another problem with being a locksmith is that you also have to work on weekends quite often and this will take away lots of precious time from your family and social life.

Locksmiths frequently work at nighttime

Not only will you have to work on weekends, but locksmiths also have to work at nighttime on a regular basis and it can be quite annoying when clients call you up in the middle of the night and you have to get to work while most other people sleep during those times.

Work-life balance for locksmiths is rather poor

Since you will have to work on weekends, holidays and nighttime, you will have a pretty poor work-life balance as a locksmith compared to secretaries or other people who just work in a standard 9 to 5 environment.

Limited promotion opportunities for locksmiths

You should also know that you will have rather limited promotion opportunities as a locksmith and will work in the same position for many years or even decades without being able to really climb the corporate ladder as many of your friends might do at the same time.

You may get bored working as a locksmith in the long run

Working as a locksmith is also not the most exciting job and since tasks are pretty repetitive, you may also get bored with being a locksmith pretty soon.

Many locksmiths need a second job to survive

Another disadvantage of becoming a locksmith is that due to the rather low salary, many locksmiths need to work second jobs to pay their bills, especially in regions where living and housing costs are pretty high and they would not be able to survive from their locksmith salary alone.

You may suffer from old-age poverty

Since locksmiths don’t make great many, they may also not be able to save and invest enough money for retirement and may suffer from serious financial problems and old-age poverty in the long run.

You will not be able to afford many nice things

Due to your rather low salary, you will also not be able to afford any luxury as a locksmith while many of your friends may be able to buy more nice things and may brag about them in front of you and you may get envious and frustrated in this regard in the long run.

Hard to provide for your family as a locksmith

Since locksmiths don’t make great money, many of them also really struggle to provide for their families and you may therefore not be able to provide many nice things to your loved ones and may really feel sorry for that sooner or later.

Clients may be annoying

While many of your clients will really appreciate your work as a locksmith, others who are in a pretty bad mood may not be kind at all and may try to bring you down while you are doing your work and this can be really annoying and you may just lose it sooner or later.

Locksmiths often suffer from sleeping problems

Since locksmiths often have to work at nighttime, they are also at significant risk of suffering from sleeping problems and a lack of sleep may lead to all sorts of health problems in the long run.

Not the best job if you have a family

Since you will be called during the middle of the night and will also have to work rather exotic hours, a locksmith career may not be the best career choice for you if you have a family since your loved ones may get really annoyed by your work and everything that comes along with it.

You have to be flexible as a locksmith

Since you will have rather exotic working hours and never know when the next call will reach you, you will also have to be pretty flexible as a locksmith if you want to succeed in this field in the long run.

Your schedule will change quite a lot

You should also know that your schedule will change quite a lot since your clients will cancel appointments quite often and you should be fine with never knowing what your workday will exactly look like and when you come home from work.

Hard to make a real impact as a locksmith

While you will do an important job for society, you will also not be able to make the same high social impact as a locksmith as nurse practitioners or other people who can really save lives.

You may have to deal with big income swings

If you work as a self-employed locksmith, you also never know how much money you will make since this greatly depends on the number of jobs you do and you will therefore have to worry about your financial standing quite a lot.

Locksmiths can’t work remotely

Another drawback of being a locksmith is that you also can’t work remotely in this field and have to be present at work in person while many other people working in classical office jobs have the luxury of working from home and will be much more flexible to manage their professional and their private life at the same time.

Top 10 Being a Locksmith Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Become A Locksmith?

While locksmiths do an important job for society and can also stay fit, you should also know that most locksmiths don’t make good money, working as a locksmith is physically demanding and many locksmiths have to quit their careers early and may really struggle financially in the long run.

In the end, it is on you to evaluate all the pros and cons of being a locksmith so that you can better decide whether you still want to work as a locksmith or rather want to work in a different field.

If you come to the conclusion that a locksmith career is not for you, you may also want to check out the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a lifeguard

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a driving instructor

Advantages and disadvantages of becoming a trucker

Sources

https://www.statista.com/forecasts/409781/locksmiths-revenue-in-the-us

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locksmithing

Own research and interviews.

About the author

My name is Andreas and my mission is to educate people about the different career paths that are possible in our current state of the world. In my opinion, people often make the mistake to choose their profession solely based on how much money they can earn from it instead of doing what makes them really happy.

This is quite sad and I just want to give people a more objective picture of how a fulfilling career could look like. I did the same when I started working in consulting after finishing my Master’s degree in Economics. However, I’ve quit pretty soon after that since I haven’t found true meaning in my job.

Now I can do what I really love to do and I want to enable as many other people as well to go this exciting path towards happiness instead of money.

I conducted various interviews with employees to give you a good impression of what working in different fields will look like and that you can make the best possible decision regarding your future career choice.

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