Smith is someone who works at something specified and locks are mechanisms used for securing and fastening doors, cars, rooms, buildings and other things. Thus locksmith is the maker and mender of locks. He designs and prepares locks with respective keys required to open the locks.

This word is derived from "blacksmith" who is an individual whose job is centered on working with metal and steel. In the middle ages they used to design war pieces for the kings but as years passed by their job enhanced. They took part in the construction of locks. Then, during 1900’s the menace of crime became prevalent in the society which increased the need for safety measures. Locksmiths were required to secure and protect people’s belonging from thefts. This is how this particular job developed and progressed. The period of World War II was a depression phase on this business. The locksmiths could not give much time to their profession and this impeded the advancement in this field. However, soon after the war was over locksmiths began to focus on developing locks and their keys.

The tools or equipment they employ varies with the kind of job and the particular lock they are working with but there are some standard tools that all locksmiths use. These are Small Pin & Peanut, lockaid tool, window crank and panel tool. These are the common tools for making all types of keys, locks and additional supplementary features to security measures.

Like all other fields this occupation has also been affected by the technological progress. Now a days their jobs is not confined to provide electronic security rather it encompasses variety of other tasks which includes key cuttings , replacing the locks, master keying and even analyzing the risk factors associated with buildings and homes to design the security systems appropriate to the risks with multiple locks and screening systems.

Growth in science has not only expanded their jobs but also has improved it and made it much easier. In the initial days they made the entire locks, a lot of manual work was involved and it was much time consuming. Today science has revolutionized the process. Primarily they are still designing and replacing locks to protect homes and items but they are now building more sophisticated and technical locks with the application of cheap mass production. Majority of the security systems are updated using latest technologies and at a much lower cost. Also the new locks are more difficult to be copied or defeated.

Similar to other professionals locksmiths ought to have an educational background to be more effective it their job. They can then specialize in a specific sub field of locksmithing e.g. automotive lock specialist, a master key system specialist or a safe technician. Formal education is given in a number of trade and engineering schools and diplomas are also offered. This business ahs a lot of scope and formal training can give them an edge in their industry and lead to better incomes.