Gunny
Member
Hi all,
Just a quick post to introduce myself and give context to other comments or questions I may ask later.
I'm not an engraver, I'm a 18-and-change year US Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Communications guy, Iraq vet, and Special Operations veteran of Afghanistan, currently doing Academic advisory work at the Marine Corps Communications School in California.
With retirement rapidly approaching it's time to get serious about figuring out what I want to do when I grow up, and for the last 10 year or so Plan A has been to retire and go to watchmaking school for a couple of years, then do that, ideally in some kind of independent small business.
For the last year or so engraving has caught my eye as something that could be complimentary to watchmaking or worth doing on it's own, and I'm considering taking some classes before I retire in order to feel that out and see how it develops. It's also potentially complimentary to my wife's lapidary work, as she is doing more and more of her own setting and metalsmithing.
So off the top of my head, I'm curious to know if any of you have tried a multidisciplinary approach like this, or if you think it's better to find a thing and specialize.
Also, and less importantly, I'm wondering if anywhere in the US teaches engraving with GI Bill or some kind of vocational rehab engagement. Not looking to get anything for free, but I'm content to let the the VA or GI Bill to pick up some of the tab where possible.
Lastly, thanks Sam and everyone for this awesome forum, I'll be deep-diving the existing posts here for quite a while.
Just a quick post to introduce myself and give context to other comments or questions I may ask later.
I'm not an engraver, I'm a 18-and-change year US Marine Gunnery Sergeant, Communications guy, Iraq vet, and Special Operations veteran of Afghanistan, currently doing Academic advisory work at the Marine Corps Communications School in California.
With retirement rapidly approaching it's time to get serious about figuring out what I want to do when I grow up, and for the last 10 year or so Plan A has been to retire and go to watchmaking school for a couple of years, then do that, ideally in some kind of independent small business.
For the last year or so engraving has caught my eye as something that could be complimentary to watchmaking or worth doing on it's own, and I'm considering taking some classes before I retire in order to feel that out and see how it develops. It's also potentially complimentary to my wife's lapidary work, as she is doing more and more of her own setting and metalsmithing.
So off the top of my head, I'm curious to know if any of you have tried a multidisciplinary approach like this, or if you think it's better to find a thing and specialize.
Also, and less importantly, I'm wondering if anywhere in the US teaches engraving with GI Bill or some kind of vocational rehab engagement. Not looking to get anything for free, but I'm content to let the the VA or GI Bill to pick up some of the tab where possible.
Lastly, thanks Sam and everyone for this awesome forum, I'll be deep-diving the existing posts here for quite a while.