Engineer to trades?

[406MtnFire]

Hey everyone,
I've been an engineer for 9 years now and not wanting to do it long term. I'll probably reach FI in ~2-3 years, which I can stick out in engineering.  However I'd prefer to go into the trades and start a handyman business or get my electrician apprenticeship (2 year program in MT).  If I were able to work part time (or FT if necessary), I think my life would be much more balanced or sustainable. I have 7 rental units and do all the maintenance. So I'm fairly remodel / common repair competent currently. I'm at ~90% FI, just want to move into a forever home, remodel it, then I'll quit my W2 job.

Curious if others have switched out of a corporate engineering job (or other W2) and transitioned to the trades? Debating between the "easy" engineering money or going into something I can do for longer, with a more flexible lifestyle.

Thanks

[affordablehousing]

I'm mulling this exactly. PTF.

[Uturn]

I was creeping up on 80% FI before the markets took their current downturn and was contemplating the same.  I am amazed at how many posts I see on Nextdoor or FB asking for handyman recommendations for things like ceiling fan install or flat pack furniture assembly.  I also have a nice woodshop and can do some furniture projects or stuff like planter boxes on the deck.  I don't think I would want to do either as a full time gig, but handyman today and woodworker tomorrow sounds nice.  I would not take on a job like bathroom remodel.  Basically take the small jobs that contractors don't want.

I also assume that this is something that I can take time off from and start up again when I get back.  Let's say I want to spend a month cycling through Italy, hard to do with a W2 job.

Does anyone have an idea what a handyman makes?

[SweatingInAR]

I used to go back and forth on this too! I'm an electrical engineer in semiconductors by day, and do a lot of electrical work on the weekends for friends and family. Installing EV charging outlets is a lot of fun to me.

I could lean-FIRE now, but want to earn at least $20k per year for the next 3-5 years to fatten that up. Less if the stock market recovers and I move money into more conservative assets.

I am planning to work my big corporate w2 job through May 2023. At that point, my 401k matching will fully vest and several bonuses pay out in Feb-April. My SO is a teacher and gets summers off, so I too will take summer 2023 completely off. Starting in the fall, I will try my hand at being a consultant or contractor in engineering. I think that I have the network and skills to pull in some work, but I wouldn't be too disappointed if it flops. A few months of that per year would likely pay better than a whole year of apprentice or handyman electrician work.

[joe189man]

PTF

also i think any trades work you do would have to be a labor of love as once you are FI you don't need the money

[kendallf]

Since you're already doing maintenance on rentals, I'd continue to fix/flip houses for myself rather than do hourly work for others.  If you pick your projects wisely, the pay is a lot better.  If you have a passion for a specific trade, then of course do it for enjoyment.

I'm roughly following my own advice.  I'm an electronics engineer, retiring next year, and I plan on doing more extensive car builds, as that is my passion/hobby.  I have also done fixer/live-in/slow flip houses and will probably do more of that, although it may be focused on places for my daughters rather than myself, to help them build wealth.  I enjoy all of the trades work when I'm doing it for myself, but I think having customers (and their attendant attitudes and issues) would suck the fun right out of it..

[former player]

If you are doing part-time handyman work with a house to live in and investments for income then you can pick and choose your clients and pick and choose when you do the work.   You can charge rich homeowners to the hilt and less to poor people you want to help out (although be beware you are not giving freebies to the millionaire next door).  You will get to know your neighbourhood and neighbours very well indeed as you are in and out of their houses and gardens and garages.  (And now I have an idea for a book/series about a handyman amateur detective solving crime in their neighbourhood.)  If you live in an affluent area you can charge a decent hourly rate - $30 or more - but in a poor area you might struggle to get much work at all.

[sailinlight]

If you are doing part-time handyman work with a house to live in and investments for income then you can pick and choose your clients and pick and choose when you do the work.   You can charge rich homeowners to the hilt and less to poor people you want to help out (although be beware you are not giving freebies to the millionaire next door).  You will get to know your neighbourhood and neighbours very well indeed as you are in and out of their houses and gardens and garages.  (And now I have an idea for a book/series about a handyman amateur detective solving crime in their neighbourhood.)  If you live in an affluent area you can charge a decent hourly rate - $30 or more - but in a poor area you might struggle to get much work at all.

$30/hour?? Pretty sure you could charge at least $100/hr in most areas or even more if you have specialized skills like cabinet carpentry or tile laying.

[former player]

If you are doing part-time handyman work with a house to live in and investments for income then you can pick and choose your clients and pick and choose when you do the work.   You can charge rich homeowners to the hilt and less to poor people you want to help out (although be beware you are not giving freebies to the millionaire next door).  You will get to know your neighbourhood and neighbours very well indeed as you are in and out of their houses and gardens and garages.  (And now I have an idea for a book/series about a handyman amateur detective solving crime in their neighbourhood.)  If you live in an affluent area you can charge a decent hourly rate - $30 or more - but in a poor area you might struggle to get much work at all.

$30/hour?? Pretty sure you could charge at least $100/hr in most areas or even more if you have specialized skills like cabinet carpentry or tile laying.

Quite possibly.  It depends on whether you are a jack of all trades handyman or a qualified and experienced tradesman.  In either case it's way above minimum wage, (and $30 is double minimum wage even in California).

[Dee_the_third]

It can be done, but keep in mind the trades are hard on your body. Even the 'easy' ones involve a lot of contorting your limbs into spaces and breathing construction dust.

[yachi]

It can be done, but keep in mind the trades are hard on your body. Even the 'easy' ones involve a lot of contorting your limbs into spaces and breathing construction dust.

This.  OP has me confused on his description of a handyman business as "something I can do for longer".  I'm 38 and already don't want to contort my body to odd shapes to reach under the sink to replace a faucet, not to mention chasing down homeowners for payment and defending myself on nextdoor when I they aren't happy for some stupid reason.  I'll do it for my own sinks sure - but the next day I'm loving that I don't have to do it again and can just putz around the house washing dishes, taking care of the compost and checking out the MMM forum instead.

[mozar]

The apprenticeship might be worth it if you get a license at the end and then you can do the electrical on your houses without hiring someone. But if you are working hourly it’s not only hard on the body but you have to work fast, like real fast, for eight hours straight. I don’t know your hours now but the trades don’t seem “flexible.”

[jfer_rose]

I did something like this. I was fed up with my job— I wasn’t an engineer but was in a related field. I didn’t consider myself fully FIRE but I was mentally fed up with my job.

While I was working, I completed a free trades pre-apprenticeship program for women in order to dip my toes in the water and get exposed to various trades before quitting my job. There are similar programs that aren’t just for  women, often through whichever organizations near you have workforce development programs.

Ultimately, I quit my job and completed a one year program to learn woodworking at my local community college. I ended up starting my own business afterwards and while my first client project was underway noticed my investments had grown such that I had achieved full FIRE without noticing. Now I’m glad to have my woodworking skills for personal projects and occasional extra income. I think this was a fantastic choice for me and I have no regrets.

One big note. I learned that some of the trade unions near me expect a certain time commitment of working in the trade in exchange for training you. For example, I think the commercial electricians here require you to work for 10 years to make up the cost of the training program (I think it is four years of training here). If you don’t keep working as an electrician, they can require you to repay some or all of the training costs. In my situation, that was a non-starter as I didn’t want to have to work that long.

[JAYSLOL]

It can be done, but keep in mind the trades are hard on your body. Even the 'easy' ones involve a lot of contorting your limbs into spaces and breathing construction dust.

This.  OP has me confused on his description of a handyman business as "something I can do for longer".  I'm 38 and already don't want to contort my body to odd shapes to reach under the sink to replace a faucet, not to mention chasing down homeowners for payment and defending myself on nextdoor when I they aren't happy for some stupid reason.  I'll do it for my own sinks sure - but the next day I'm loving that I don't have to do it again and can just putz around the house washing dishes, taking care of the compost and checking out the MMM forum instead.

Yeah, +1 on this.  As someone who studied mechanical engineering and ended up doing landscaping instead, I can say now that I’m well into my 30’s, I’m not sure how easily I can keep up this kind of work until FI.  Trades are great and rewarding in a lot of ways, especially when you can work for yourself and pick and choose jobs you like, but they can take a toll on you over time

[joenorm]

Depends on the trade. Electrical isn't so bad on the body. Stone mason maybe a different story.

I am in the trades and enjoy using my body, but it's true as the years go on it gets a little harder

[chasingsnow]

I am also mulling a similar decision, looking at the transition from architecture and planning to the trades. PTF

[ender]

As an engineer, I have been more and more into the trades -- as hobbies.

I enjoy it a lot more this way.