WWW.ALOA.ORG MAY 2023 KEYNOTES 21 portunities (firefighters, plumbers, elec- tricians, HVAC). But, nowhere in there is a mention of becoming a locksmith. Even though I wanted to be a teacher, I took a correspondence course in lock- smithing when I was 17. I saw it in the back of a Popular Mechanics magazine to which my dad subscribed. By the way, that was the course that propelled me to where I am today: dual-careered. Had it not been for that strange happenstance viewing of a small ad at the back of a magazine, I would now know nothing of locksmithing and probably would not be writing this column. This leads me to say that there appears to be no established locksmith career paths offered/known to the public by most giving the advice! So, where do we go? Apprenticeships One answer is having seasoned lock- smiths take young locksmiths under their wings. It has happened for decades and still does. We need to make this a set career path option within our industry, but this may take a lot of consideration and input from locksmiths across the country. However, it is a viable way to help in structuring a defined career path for our youth — never before planned or done within our industry. We need to incorporate a mentorship program into our ALOA syllabus. That will take time and considerable planning, but it’s still doable. Media Enticements “TV door openings with a pick — fun!” “Cracking a safe — exciting!” “Auto en- try/starts with no key — wow!” “I want to do that!” That is what our youth see on TV, which is a major influencer to everyone, and particularly to our poten- tially young budding locksmiths. So, the question remains: How we can we stra- tegically promote to our youth and the general public the value of locksmithing as a viable career path in light of these promotional tidbits already given to us by the entertainment industry? The answer may be national. ALOA Scholarships Kudos to ALOA SPAI for starting the Keynotes feature “Young Locksmith Spotlight.” They should continue to fea- ture our youth who are willing to invest in their future and ours. I was happy to meet Fritz Bookman at the ALOA Convention in Las Vegas last year. I had breakfast with him, his mom and with ALOA SPAI President Bill Man- dlebaum. It was refreshing to see young people wanting to get into this profes- sion. That’s a start. But it goes way beyond that. Our as- sociation may be 5,000-plus members strong, but our country is 336-plus mil- lion strong! Get the point? Positive na- tional attention will yield positive results for not only ALOA SPAI, but our profes- sion as a whole. We need locksmiths who are presently non-ALOA members to also join the cause. If they see an industry trend change, perhaps they will commit to a personal and professional change, as well. The youth is where it is at — an obvious, yet important deduction. Conclusion Selecting a career path as a youth, let alone as adults, can have many twists and turns. Taking classes, apprenticing and participating in mentorships are a good start toward entering the security field as a fulfilling career. If you are a seasoned locksmith, why not take on an eager locksmith-to-be under your wing? It would be a phenomenal way to give back what you have been given. At the very minimum, you can direct those in- terested toward ALOA for the wealth of opportunities offered through the asso- ciation, not to mention the scholarships. As many locksmiths are aging out of the profession, it is incumbent upon us all to do our part to ensure the future of our trade. Some locksmiths think that locksmithing may go the way of the blacksmith, or the horse and buggy repairman. Conversely, others feel locksmithing is an ever-chang- ing field that has expanded beyond locks and keys, and into the peripheral fields such as safe and vault, automotive and electron- ics … and eventually servicing security de- vices that have not yet even been invented! Do your part to be a locksmith coach, ap- prentice guide or a security mentor to our youth. Tomorrow begins today. William M. Lynk, CML, CPS, ICML, CMIL, CAI, M.Ed., has been a locksmith since 1975 and is the owner of www.ICLSglobal.com. Bill is an IC specialist, an indus- try author, the subject matter expert on IC for ALOA, and an ALOA ACE instructor, teaching classes on interchangeable cores and master keying across the country. He has originated SFIC Technical Manuals for both national and international lock manufacturers, and main- tains a working relationship with the major lock and security manufacturers throughout the world. In 2013, he was named Keynotes Author of the Year. “As many locksmiths are aging out of the profession, it is incumbent upon us all to do our part to ensure the future of our trade.”
