I don't think your dilema is with which school, it lies with the opportunities available to you after you graduate. There are some serious positions available for qualified gunsmiths, it may (will) require another 'move', possibly, to somewhere you and your family may not want to be. There are jobs with the major manufacturers in their custom shops and warranty repair shops, even with the U.S. government, sometimes. Those jobs may not be in the part of the country your family wants to live in, too expensive or too far from Grandmas' house. It takes money to start a business, and customers to keep it going, customers who are willing 'to pay'. The gunsmithing business is 'specialized tool intensive'. It takes time to establish a reputation for doing excellent work and establishing that clientel that is your base, and aquiring new 'good' customers (there are many who will waste your time) and finding that specialized niche that sets you apart from the others. You could spend many dollars in tuition, materials and basic hand tools and not be able to even 'make ends meet' with your newly aquired knowledge. The schools will teach you the basics and then some. With what I've learned at the bench over the last 18yrs., school pales in comparison. Two years just isn't long enough to cover everything or circumstance you will encounter. Hopefully, you'll come out wth a mind set to think your way thru your problems. Many graduate and go into completely different fields, just to make a living, and, if they really love gunsmithing, they come back to it after retirement. Not trying to discourage you, just what I've seen as a gunsmithing graduate, myself, and what I have observed of other graduates of several different schools.
