There’s A Degree For That!

My upbringing is relatable to many of you. I grew up living a simple life on a small farm in western North Carolina and began shooting at an early age. I learned fast the importance of maintaining my own firearm and developed my interest in guns and shooting. It also piqued my interest in the military. The day after I graduated high school, I was on a bus to Paris Island, South Carolina and soon after was being greeted by my Drill Instructor. I was introduced to my new best friend, an M16A2 service rifle.

From that point on, the majority of my adult life has been spent within arms reach of a firearm. As retirement grew near, I tried to picture a post-military career. I had taken a college class or two throughout the years. I became an Emergency Medical Technician, took some Parks & Recreation classes, some Religion classes, but I never really discovered a traditional degree path that interested me.

I dabbled in the security field after retirement but ultimately found my calling as a firearms instructor, working as Mobile Marksmanship (Facebook.com/MobileMarksmanship) in Virginia. Also, probably like you, I know that it is important to continue training to remain relevant. A little over two years ago, I found myself searching high and low for my next piece of continuing education.

Sonoran Desert Institute (SDI.edu, kept popping up and SDI is known as the School of Firearms Technology… and that sounded pretty awesome! I scanned their website just long enough to find out that they offer several programs related to gunsmithing and even have a degree program in Firearms Technology. Wait! A degree in Firearms Technology? Is that real? They had my attention.

After a couple weeks of research, I discovered that the school was accredited and accepted my GI Bill benefit, that all the core subjects (Math, English, Science, etc.) that I had taken previously through Military Tuition Assistance while on active duty would transfer over, and because of those transfer credits, I could have an Associate of Science Degree in Firearms Technology within about a year. A look at the class subjects revealed what I would learn.

In addition to the expected maintenance and repair, classwork also included things like making Kydex holsters, hydro

dipping, ballistics, shooting sports management, stock woodworking, checkering, and even building a complete muzzleloader and my choice of building an AR-10, AR- 15, or 1911. Finally, college classes made for me! This was the first time I had ever been excited about going to college and getting a degree. SDI is an online school, and I wondered how this would work as I felt like these subjects require hands-on. Well, I’ll tell you, it works professionally, efficiently, and smoothly.

I spoke with an admissions specialist, filled out a quick application, submitted some documents, and the following month I was logging into my first class. Tools, books, and required project parts are shipped to your door prior to the start of class. All classes are taught by instructors and professors that are practicing experts in their field. Group participation is required, which is great because I was able to pick up a lot from my fellow students.

Classes are ran on a semester basis, there are deadlines, there are written assignments, some assignments require picture and/or video evidence, and grades are not just handed out SDI students earn the grades they get. I had a blast earning my degree in Firearms Technology, I graduated magna cum laude, was on the Dean’s List, and as a member of the National Veterans Honor Society; not too bad for a Marine Infantryman, if I do say so myself.

I enjoyed every class, the instructors, my classmates, and I continue to enjoy the guns I built as a student and the ones I’ve built as a result of the training provided to me by SDI. If you aspire to be a professional gunsmith or a holster-smith, if you own a firearms related business, if you’re a firearms instructor, a collector, a competitive shooter, or even just a firearms owner, go check out some of the great training that SDI offers.

Even if gunsmithing doesn’t turn into a career, you’ll appreciate firearms even more. AG