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Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

kchu02

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 4, 2008
331
0
37
College Station, TX
Hopefully I don't get crap for this.

Just wandering what type of jobs I can get in the Firearms Industry with a BA in Economics.

I'll be graduating in December and have been looking around at jobs. Doesn't seem like there are a lot of entry level positions out there. Are there any specific job search sites I can go to?

Any ideas will be helpful.

Thanks
Kevin
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

hmmmm, BA in Econmics and you ask a question about working in the firearms industry when the economy is down like it is...
uh, what part did you study? Firearms business isn't doing so well right now and if anything is only stable with no foreseeable upswing until the economy starts a future upward trend

Have you looked into bar tending?
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Go see your recruiter, tell them you want to be an infantry officer... About as gun industry as it gets.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

I am graduating from the College of Business and Admin. with the harder Econ degree. Had to take a lot of management and marketing classes as well. Not to mention I am fluent in Chinese.

I did look into the military, got accepted into VMI out of High School, but parents aren't too keen of me joining.

Kevin
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

You still let your parents make your decisions for you?
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Being disowned doesn't sound too fun especially for a Chinese American, especially straight out of HS some 4 years ago.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Oh sure... They can come to America for a better life but not support our military!! Any parent that disowns there child for doing something as honorable as giving themselves to the service of this country isn't worth a damn anyways!
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

They just thought I could make a better life for myself outside of the military.

My dad was a NCO in the ROC Army.

Obviously we come for a different culture. Even though I was born in the US, I was raised with Chinese customs. We respect our elders and their thoughts. I get where they were coming at. They are even paying for my college without complaint, same with my sister. So you naysayers can get off their backs. If you don't have anything constructive to say about this thread than don't read it.

Those of you that gave me constructive advice, my many thanks.

Kevin
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Kevin, I am sponsored by the military getting my MBA at a top school, so I understand what your degree is. IMO the military is great opportunity to learn, and gain some experience before entering the civilian workforce. I understand and appreciate your respect for your parents, I think it is something that is underestimated in MODERN american culture. If the military is still of interest for you, maybe you could encourage your parents to see it your way if you could show them some of the benefits. The US military is very different then what your dad went through in the ROC. Nonetheless I wish you the best of luck.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Kevin: ++1 what lwrkeysfisher said. with your linguistic skills, and formal education, you would fit in well in a number of military fields; go talk to some officer recruiters and see what your options are. You don't have anything to lose. Also, have you thought about working for FEMA, Dept. of Homeland Security, or a Fed LE or Intel?
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

If you are fluent in Chinese(Mandarin?) I'd look into the Federal field first. Better pay, better hours, dont get shot at as much....the list goes on and on. A lot of the people in the firearms industry are either Ex LEO/MIL or went to school to learn about gunsmithing or were visionary engineers. Sure there are some exceptions to that, but those exceptions "knew someone" somewhere along the way.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

What should I look for in the Federal field; like FEMA, DHS, etc? I thought to work as an agent you need like LEO experience. That has been something I was looking at.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Think DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), CIA, or even a DLA (Defense Language Institute). If you are fluent in Mandarin (sp), it opens up a lot of possibilities as an analyst or teaching future analysts the language. I know its not what you studied in school or firearms related, but your language skills would be more important to the gov than an economics degree. If you want to stay in the private sector, look for industries dealing with the PRC and market your language skills on your resume. Best of luck to ya.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Thanks, yeah my language skills is Mandarin, I think I would need to go to school to brush up on it. I can speak and understand it @ the college level, but I just can't read or write worth a damn.

Any ideas on what to do there?

thanks,
Kevin
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Personally with your skills and language the world can become your oyster. With the amount of companies that are looking for a guy like you that can help them enter into Asian countries especially China for their growth of product. As you well know, a lot of the U.S. goods are from China and that also includes the firearms business. I think the only thing that can hold you back is your imagination. Having the ability to be bilingual with one of your languages as Chinese is a ticket to big money.

I would work on your language skills and become fluent on all levels.

If you want to work for the government go to the State Department or CIA.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

Nice return on the crap tossed at ya kid, my compliments. Well handled.
You really should look into the aspect of international business in the firearms trade, of course after Obama and his miscreants are expelled next election, then it should be a lot easier
grin.gif

Stay in school, get your Doctorate, then stay in school some more, it sucks out here. It's hard, money is tight, you got it good right where you're at

!Br3(+QQBmk~$(KGrHqUOKkUEu0gUq65zBL1fsIPGUg~~_3.JPG
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kchu02</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hopefully I don't get crap for this.

Just wandering what type of jobs I can get in the Firearms Industry with a BA in Economics.</div></div>

So I was wondering where you are wandering to for a job?
laugh.gif


Check out the State Department
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

You need to have a hard think about where your loyalties will truly lie in a worst case scenario.

You're first generation American but I would imagine you have plenty of family in China still. China is in no way a friendly state towards the US and if you were to get into a G-man job then you need to be aware that you, your parents and extended family in China will become persons of interest to the Chinese govt. YOu would be an asset they would seek to own.

How would you behave if you father/mother approached you and asked you to help save the life/lives of some relatives back in China by breaking your oath of loyalty to this country in passing whatever sensitive information comes your way? Would you tell your employer that your parents are being blackmailed? That they made this request to you?

It's not an outlandish scenario and you may well be asked this as part of your selection process with certain agencies.

With you degree and if you have good grades there are many different avenues open to you if something in the fire arms industry doesn't pan out.

Whatever you do, good luck.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: EventHorizon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You need to have a hard think about where your loyalties will truly lie in a worst case scenario.

You're first generation American but I would imagine you have plenty of family in China still. China is in no way a friendly state towards the US and if you were to get into a G-man job then you need to be aware that you, your parents and extended family in China will become persons of interest to the Chinese govt. YOu would be an asset they would seek to own.

How would you behave if you father/mother approached you and asked you to help save the life/lives of some relatives back in China by breaking your oath of loyalty to this country in passing whatever sensitive information comes your way? Would you tell your employer that your parents are being blackmailed? That they made this request to you?

It's not an outlandish scenario and you may well be asked this as part of your selection process with certain agencies.

With you degree and if you have good grades there are many different avenues open to you if something in the fire arms industry doesn't pan out.

Whatever you do, good luck.</div></div>

+1

If you can answer those questions correctly, and you want to use the language skills, DIA or NSA would be the way to go.

If you want to use your skills to get in the door, then use your degree, go to the largest employer of economist in the Fed Gov, the CIA.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: EventHorizon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You need to have a hard think about where your loyalties will truly lie in a worst case scenario.

You're first generation American but I would imagine you have plenty of family in China still. China is in no way a friendly state towards the US and if you were to get into a G-man job then you need to be aware that you, your parents and extended family in China will become persons of interest to the Chinese govt. YOu would be an asset they would seek to own.

How would you behave if you father/mother approached you and asked you to help save the life/lives of some relatives back in China by breaking your oath of loyalty to this country in passing whatever sensitive information comes your way? Would you tell your employer that your parents are being blackmailed? That they made this request to you?

It's not an outlandish scenario and you may well be asked this as part of your selection process with certain agencies.

With you degree and if you have good grades there are many different avenues open to you if something in the fire arms industry doesn't pan out.

Whatever you do, good luck. </div></div>

Yeah my extended family is from Taiwan. All of them except for 1 uncle have immigrated here and are resident aliens. So no real problems there.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

If your looking at getting in the door with Federal LE, BP and CBP are the way to go. Do that job for a few years and use that experience to leverage you way into a job with the FBI, State Dept, Etc. CBP and BP are always looking for people w/ language skills.

If you don't want to do that, get a bank job and attend the best MBA program you can get into in 2-3 years. When your done we should be nearing the pinnacle of the next economic cycle, I would expect you'll be able to get a job at that point without a problem. If the economy hasn't recovered by then, a job will likely be the least of your worries...
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: kchu02</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
My dad was a NCO in the ROC Army.

Kevin </div></div>

ROC and PRC are 2 different places, (despite the the PRC thinking it is about to be all the same)
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

If federal employment is your goal then I wish you good luck. I'm a veteran, have a B.S. degree, Cisco certified and have experience and Uncle Sam won't even hire me for an entry level network position. So I hope to hell you're frickin' superman.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

If you want to work in the firearms industry then go for it. that is what I wanted to do when I graduated from college, and that is what I did.

If you want to have a god job and make good money then go into sales. There are tons of god firearms sales jobs out there. and lots of guys are making alot of money.

Probably a god place to start are the large shows like the SHOT show. You need to make connections, so take any job you can get to start with. Even if it is at the gun counter at Cabela's. If you really want something then it is worth the work.

I have friends who are major purchasing managers and even store managers at Cabela's and Bass Pro. And they lead a really good life. Great pay, and they are around the field that they realy love. How can you beat that?? And I can tell you first hand that some of the perks are as good as it gets.

Just stay at it. you may not be happy with the money to start with, but it will come. And money is not everything. Sure it is great. But I really enjoyed all my days at work. It took several years before I broke the 6 figure number in income in the field. But it is out there. So make up your mind to go do it---Then go do it. Tom.
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

It only took me thirty years to get into "The Industry".
How much would you think you were in it if you were hired based on your education?
Not much! You'd be balancing a budget for a manufacturer.
I am a "beat the pavement" guy, around 800 miles/week. I spend a lot of time in hotels working on reports at night while you are reading Guns & Ammo or working at your reloading bench. Or maybe you're petting the dogs or the wife.
I am not being bitter here, just trying to say that it is a JOB!!!!! The glamor and glory you think will be there may not. You will spend a lot of time reloading magazines for other shooters at the range instead of shooting.
BTW, I truly love my job and believe in our product. I have just seen how much some people glamorize my job and want to put me on a pedestal for "having the greatest job in the world".
Pay attention to what these guys are telling you. Your talents would be much more valuable in other fields. And you might have time to go to the range with your own guns!
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

@phantasm

My degree is in computer science, i had A+, N+, and MSCB certs and a strong background in security. I never found a job in the industry, private or government.

Last time I looked was 5 years ago. At the time, the entire tech industry was flooded, you were competing with systems admins for entry level phone support jobs. Is it still that way?
 
Re: Jobs within the Firearms Industry?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Some_guy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Last time I looked was 5 years ago. At the time, the entire tech industry was flooded, you were competing with systems admins for entry level phone support jobs. Is it still that way? </div></div>

Yup. It's still that way. We're still competing against guys with 10+ yrs and advanced certs such as CCNPs for entry level jobs. It sucks. I think I found a Tier II spot with a government contractor but the commute and 12hr shifts will keep me away from my wife and son for about 17hrs a day. What are you gonna do though.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Switchblade</div><div class="ubbcode-body">phantasm, check that lower link I gave of the two, you may find something there </div></div>

Will do Switch.