I had the advantage of being both a gunsmith AND a graduate of a watchmaker school and a working Master watchmaker.
SMART people in ANY type of graduate class are looking for jobs LONG before graduation day.
An amazing number of people (usually kids) wait until they get the degree THEN start looking.
The smarter and/or older experienced students start really looking at the beginning of their last year, and if they are competent people, they usually have a job already locked in by diploma day.
It's largely true of any profession or trade that you learn almost as much your first year at work than you do in school, but that's on the practical side.
No, you may not have the experience, but you DO have the skills, and that's what employers hire.
If you're a REAL, trained professional gunsmith, there are PLENTY of jobs available.
Most large police departments need gunsmith/armorers.
The military often employ civilian gunsmiths, especially in the special operations type units and in government arsenals and repair depots.
Federal law enforcement agencies hire gunsmiths to be armorers or to build and maintain sniper rifles and other weapons for the SWAT teams.
ALL gun companies hire gunsmiths to do repairs and troubleshooting on customers guns, and many, like Colt, Remington, and S&W run custom shops that build custom guns.
When new models are being R&D'd, gunsmiths are part of the design team.
Many of the larger custom gun shops, have a number of gunsmith's and are often looking for new people.
Private companies involved in research and development or government projects hire gunsmiths.
Federal agencies and big companies you'd never think of having gunsmiths working for them, do.
A smart, new gunsmith doesn't start his own business right out of the gate.
This is a high dollar startup type business, and running your own business, you're NOT really a gunsmith.
You're a BUSINESS MAN who gets to do some gunsmithing in between filling out papers and forms for the government, and doing financial operations.
The best way to do it is to start lining up good job leads at least a year before you graduate.
By the middle of your last year, you should have at least 3-4 HARD leads lined up, and by graduation day, you should have a job locked in and waiting.
You get to do a LOT more gunsmithing if you work for an employer, and there's no paper work and business BS.
Work for the government, and you have great pay, retirement, and benefits.