uh ... I uh ... earned a merit badge in it ... yeah, that's it, a merit badge ... from my, uh, scout troop in da old naybahood ... yeah, dats right.
When I was around 13 years old I taught myself how to pick locks so that I could assist my friends in getting into their parents liquor cabinets (not warded locks but regular pin-tumbler locks).
With two finish nails, a paper clip, a hammer and a cement sidewalk to file with (by scraping) I would make a pretty passable set of tools.
And pretty popular for it .... as the old comic book ads would say: "amaze your friends and startle your enemies"
Picking locks is actually horribly simple once you get the hang of it. I can do pretty much all standard door locks and most automotive locks. That's why the best security is never a keyed lock but one of those push-button multi-number combination locks mounted on doors. And why alarm systems are such a good idea. Truth be told, I was never into it for any sort of illegal purposes whatsoever ... but just for the challenge, and still occasionally opening cars for friends who've locked their keys in the car.