ffj's Early Retirement (round 2)

[ffj]

Well the issue is that if I as a homeowner can do all the work myself, have it inspected, pass inspection and then move into my home which is exactly what I did in 2021 without a license, all perfectly legal and proper, then what has changed when I do the same exact work for a client? Did my abilities go away? No, but money has changed hands.

If the issue is safety or better yet consistency then the homeowner wouldn't have the ability to perform any electrical work if he hasn't completed an electrical apprenticeship and nearly 600 hours of formal electrical education. I can do whatever I want to on an existing structure on my home property and as told already I can do all electrical work on a new build as long as it's inspected. You are either competent or you are not and if you aren't an inspector will fail you and you won't gain occupancy or power.

So if it is good enough for a homeowner why can't I perform inspected work? That is the rub, even with Jacob's excellent points. Like all things, there is more nuance to the whole discussion and the net result of current policies is probably in favor of weeding out more bad than good. But I still got called a criminal yesterday which I wouldn't have if I had owned the house.

Anyway, I'm over it. Out of the electrical game and probably out of helping anybody else too. I'll let my liability policy lapse once my coverage expires which will save $1,000/year. If I do seek part-time work I'll just work for somebody else and let that company absorb all of the potential liabilities.

[ffj]

Been working on some interesting projects around the home here lately but in the interest of privacy I can't really show you guys much. One of which is pretty cool as it is a secret bookcase/door to a hidden room. I've been meaning to build this for two years now and it has finally happened. Now why do I need a secret room? I don't really but I joke to my wife that is where I'm going to keep all of our gold. She responds with "what gold?". Realistically, I am going to put some sentimental items of worth in there such as some old guns that aren't worth a lot monetarily but are near to my heart as they represent relationships with family members.

I also finally finished a roof addition to my barn. The weather has been very uncooperative but it is done. When I built the house I had a lot of leftover roofing pieces as well as odd-ball pieces used as protector sheets when they delivered my metal. None of the colors match but they all shed water so my lean-to addition looks like a coat of many colors. I needed a place to park lawn and gardening equipment out of the rain during the growing season. I built a 14 foot by 26 foot roof for the cost of the wood for the rafters. I cut down locust trees for the up-rights which was free and already owned the metal roofing and screws. I also salvaged a bunch of wood from a neighbor whose barn is condemned. Fairly cheap project and very utilitarian as it is right next to my garden.



I've really been paying attention to my health the past few months and it's paying off nicely. Now ever since my unexpected hospitalization from an allergic reaction a year ago I've been monitoring my health and doing better but I really dialed it up starting in November. One of my best accomplishments is finally getting my GI tract in order. That involves eating nutritious food as well as plenty of water and exercise. Improper eating has been my biggest weakness my whole life and I am at an age where I can't skate anymore. I am also doing intermittent fasting which works as I am down 12 pounds in weight. My goal is 10 more which would be ideal for my body type.



Now that I've had some time to think about what happened with the electrical kerfuffle it has motivated me to look into getting my electrical license. If I pursue it, it is going to take time as one has to serve as an apprentice under a Master Electrician before cleared for independent work. I'm not worried about the classwork but I am going to have to give it some serious thought about working under someone else for a couple years. And not only that, finding an employer that would even accept me at my age could very well be a challenge. But I'm going to start making some calls and fleshing out if it is worth the effort. One of my motivations is that electrical work is fairly easy on the body and it pays well. I don't need the money but I need purpose in life and a reason to leave my house and mingle with other people. The other reason would be to show my license to the inspector and tell him to fuck off, haha. We'll see what kind of answers I receive.

[delay]

Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing!

I am also doing intermittent fasting which works as I am down 12 pounds in weight. My goal is 10 more which would be ideal for my body type.

Good to hear it's working for you too! I'm now on 14:00-20:00 eat windows for all days of the week. It's very easy to keep up. My weight is constant which is very pleasant after losing 50 pounds last year. Once spring arrives I'm planning to toss 10 pounds extra.

What duration for intermittent fasting are you on?

[ffj]

Five years ago I lost 25 pounds but I gained 7 of it back before I lost the 12 pounds, so I am little less than I was 5 years ago. That makes me feel good but I clearly could lose more even though I am happy with what I see in the mirror, all things considered.

My window is 1200 to 1800 hours which like you said is fairly easy to do once you get used to it. I only eat twice a day and with the exception of creamer in my coffee it's fairly clean. I don't drink, I don't smoke anything, I've quit almost all dairy, very limited caffeine, certainly no soda or fast food with the exception of Subway loaded with vegetables. The burgers, pizza, beer, etc. are all gone. Still consume cheap carbs such as bread but like caffeine, very limited. I make a point to exercise in my fasting window if I can with a stretching session, a session on a rowing machine, light weight training, and a 2 to 2.5 mile hike each day through hilly terrain.

My whole life I've been a human dumpster when it comes to eating and the only reason I was able to remain somewhat in an acceptable weight range is because I've always been very active. Still fat, but able to perform. But I've run out of leeway due to my age. Since I've taken this seriously, everything has improved: sleep, sex, BP, endurance, and my GI system is running perfectly which was my main motivation because I had wrecked it due to taking a strong antibiotic for an issue with a tooth.

Good on you for losing the 50! That's a big deal and you should be proud of that. There is so much temptation out there and inconvenience to do the right thing so when I hear of accomplishments such as yours it resonates. Each pound lost represents so much more than the weight removed.

[mountainFrugal]

Bummer about your interaction with that inspector.

Of the technical things that he dinged you for how will you alter your process so you do not make the same errors the next time? Or another way to ask... do you remember your decision making process for the things that he ended up saying needed to be fixed?

[suomalainen]

I don't need the money but I need purpose in life and a reason to leave my house and mingle with other people.

Has this caused you to reflect on your early retirement? Any lessons learned or "what I wish I'd known" or anything like that? Or would you still do things when and how you did them?

[ffj]

@mountain

Your question reminds me of the statement that there are no accidents, just reasons on why something occurred.

I take pride in learning the important aspects of everything I do and when you are dealing with energized electrical systems it matters that it is done correctly. So when the details are important I pay close attention. But I was a little bit of a cowboy on this job on some details that I thought didn't really matter. So that is answer number one.

That attitude dinged me on the closet light. The reason you don't use an incandescent light in a closet is because somebody down the line may stack clothes or other items against it and the heat of the light bulb may ignite the items. I should have cared more and told him to get an LED but I didn't because it was extremely unlikely due to its position that something like that would ever occur. Still a violation but easily fixed.

This same attitude also caught me on the strapping for the riser conduit to the meter base. It was short and dead solid when I finished and even though I knew strapping was required I figured I'd wait and see what the inspector thought because it was so strong. Little did I know he would be out for blood. Solution? Add a support.

Same for the ground rods. I was off by 2 feet on the spacing between the two ground rods and the reason I made that mistake is because I guessed based on memory. Normally I would have checked online but I forgot to before I arrived and there is no internet or phone service where this house is located so I couldn't check so I winged it. Easy fix though, just add a third ground rod to gain that two feet for potential dispersion. I should have waited until I had specs in hand.

Now for three mistakes that were completely my fault through inexperience, ignorance or not paying attention which is reason number two: I put an outlet too close to where the free-standing tub in the bathroom was going to go. I missed it by almost a foot but I missed it because I didn't check. Completely my fault. Still very fixable.

I also installed a breaker that was an arc-fault but should have been a dual arc-fault/ground fault breaker. I should have caught that. Doesn't matter that the other 22 breakers were perfectly sized. It's a five minute fix thankfully.

And the only mistake that bothers me mainly due to complete ignorance of the rules. Again, that cowboy mentality kept me from double-checking when I should have taken the time. I violated NEC 314.15 which pertains to exposed work in the crawlspace. Simply put, you are not allowed to staple wire to the underside of floor joists if the wire is perpendicular to the joist. The reason being that someone could hang something on the wire or easily grab it and pull it down even though it resides in an unoccupied space. Now it is still an easy fix, you simply attach a "running board" to the underside of the joist and staple the wire to that so the wire no longer "floats". Or you can drill holes through the floor joists and run the wire through them even if you still have floating wire. Go figure. But I was clueless that was a rule in a 4 foot crawlspace. I just assumed it didn't matter as long as it was adequately stapled.

I hope that answers your question. Even though the inspector was a jerk he performed his job like he was supposed to and caught my mistakes. The system worked in that regard and I am thankful for that as I don't want it to be wrong. And part of me was banking on that before anything became energized. Now I would be dishonest if I didn't say I'm happy the mistakes were fairly minor so there's that for what it is worth.

[ffj]

@suo

Big questions.

This July will be my tenth anniversary of my retirement. Overall I think I have done a fair job with my freedom but I have a fatal personality flaw that will destroy me one day: I need something relevant to do almost every day. And I am very creative about what constitutes something as relevant.

But... sitting around my house knowing full damn well it doesn't matter whether I get my ass off the couch or not does not satisfy me. It's like eating too many doughnuts, that law of diminishing returns kicks in hard at some point.

So if I had to offer any advice it would be that your freedom isn't free. Like the bumper sticker. It is work to develop systems that keep you in your happy place and when you get out of balance it is not fun, but nowhere close to the suck of a full-time job. But it is intentional living with lots of effort so be prepared.

[delay]

Good on you for losing the 50! That's a big deal and you should be proud of that. There is so much temptation out there and inconvenience to do the right thing so when I hear of accomplishments such as yours it resonates. Each pound lost represents so much more than the weight removed.

Thanks! Very happy with my new weight.

The temptation is an interesting subject. Our entire society sees sugar as a reward: cakes, cookies, sweets. I'm working to change my perception but it's surprisingly hard. One thing that helps is changing "cake" to "cocaine" in a sentence. For example, take this thought: I have earned a cake as a reward for sticking to my diet for a week. If you replace cake with cocaine, it becomes logical that such an approach can't work. Addictions don't disappear if you peridocally refresh its association with happiness.

So if I had to offer any advice it would be that your freedom isn't free. Like the bumper sticker. It is work to develop systems that keep you in your happy place and when you get out of balance it is not fun, but nowhere close to the suck of a full-time job. But it is intentional living with lots of effort so be prepared.

When I was one of the last engineers on legacy enterprise software I had practically no work. I saw my colleagues once a week. Bosses were very happy that we kept the system in good condition, so no stress at all. I was afraid of how I would handle all this freedom. But it I naturally switched to reading books, sleeping well, playing games and sporting. Very little effort involved.

Perhaps it depends on the type of work you do. Electrical engineers have a schedule, lots of rules and work inspections. So the change to freedom is perhaps larger.

What type of system did you develop to keep in a happy place?

[ffj]

What type of system did you develop to keep in a happy place?

I always have a project going that is either going to improve my life and/or improve my property. And I always have projects that have long term results that require monitoring and light maintenance. I grow trees from seed for example. My diet for another example.

But I always have an old fashioned written list of things I need to accomplish on a daily basis. Now some of them are strictly voluntary and if they never get done it's ok. The point though is that I never just sit there and wonder what to do for the day and the beauty of this system is that I get to pick what I write down on that piece of paper. And it is quite satisfying running a line through the task after completion.

Today I have to get back to fixing my rototiller. Damn transmission is jacked up and I'm trying to avoid having to buy another at around a grand. I have a purpose today and I hopefully avoid a $1000.00 bill. Same for working on my vehicles: last week I disassembled the throttle body on my vehicle and cleaned it really well and changed the spark plugs because it was idling rough. Plus the other projects.

So that is it really. The challenge is to get off the property and mingle with other people. Of course I do have friends but they aren't going to be around on a constant basis. So for me the easiest way is to do outside work for pay. The customer appreciates the work done and I usually work with other guys as well which is enough social interaction to satisfy me.

[mountainFrugal]

I hope that answers your question. Even though the inspector was a jerk he performed his job like he was supposed to and caught my mistakes. The system worked in that regard and I am thankful for that as I don't want it to be wrong. And part of me was banking on that before anything became energized. Now I would be dishonest if I didn't say I'm happy the mistakes were fairly minor so there's that for what it is worth.

Thank you for your write-up.

I also thought my question would be useful for you to write out the answer if you were to pursue an electrician apprenticeship. Sounds like you have the raw knowledge electrician chops to really excel at that if that is how you wanted to spend your time. Getting harshly critiqued by an expert always stings, but it is the fastest way to learn. I had considered an electricians apprenticeship a year or so ago. With the rise in electric vehicles and more general solar/battery grids in our rural area I thought it could be a good skillset to have. I decided against it because of the length of apprenticeship and word of mouth that the handful of companies that might take me in are not good to work for. I will revisit or ask some questions if we decide to do a remodel in our home or eventually build an ADU/studio (now on back-burner because of art studio in other town). I will also have an electrician double check my plans and work if we do anything at home.

[Henry]

The challenge is to get off the property and mingle with other people.

I face this issue as well. As of now, business keeps me engaged but it's cyclical and at some point that's going to end. I have academic interests as well as a developing appreciation for art and a love/hate relationship with nature which is skewed heavily towards visceral fucking contempt but sometimes I do like to just shoot the shit with some random person who is neither real friend or real foe. And shared interests don't help. Oh, you're Christian and love God? That' great but unfortuntately just because I don't hate your fucking guts doesn't mean I want to spend time with you. So its both quantity of person and quantity of time. Maybe there's a service. Like Rent-An-Average-Asshole on an hourly basis where some ordinary jag off leans against your car for an hour or so and you talk about how you almost ended up in the NYC Tombs in a hooker gone bad incident or how you knew a guy who played for Bobby Knight or how someone needs to come up with a toenail catcher when you clip them because they fly all over the fucking place and then you got to spend time looking for them before your wife comes home and walks on one of them and yells at you for not knowing how to clip your toenails correctly.

[ffj]

@mountain

I've already shot that idea down after further research. It would cost me $12,000 to complete over two years the coursework which is doable but the kicker is that I would have to work for four years under somebody else full time for minimal pay* before I was eligible to even take the electricians test. Once I passed it, I would still have to work under a Master Electrician for two years before I could take my Masters test. And only then would I be able to work independently without someone else determining my income and hours worked. So basically 12 grand and 6 years of underpaid, full-time work for the privilege of installing a ceiling fan in someone's home. This system is set up for someone graduating high school. Fortunately I have other skills that I can use for extra income but this new info is really disheartening.

Feel free to ask any questions you have on the remodel. I'll do my best to answer them.

@Henry

Ha! What I want is a part-time job that is interesting in itself and as a bonus places you in proximity to interesting people. That would take care of any social need I have and I could make some change too. That and a unicorn.

I may apply to the Nature Conservancy where a friend works. Just $20/hour but it's interesting work.



* we're talking $10-14/hour for physical work that the Electrician doesn't want to do, such as ruining your knees in a crawlspace or an attic that is 120 F. I know how this shit works

[jacob]

* we're talking $10-14/hour for physical work that the Electrician doesn't want to do, such as ruining your knees in a crawlspace or an attic that is 120 F. I know how this shit works

That quote seems rather low? It seems that the rule of thumb is 1.5x minimum wage for the given area. Anchoring probably plays a role in whether that seems like a lot or not. When I looked into becoming a carpenter back in 2011, I was astounded at how much someone with zero skills would be making relative to what a physics grad-student (someone with a BSc if not an MSc) effectively makes as a "research-apprentice" (~$10/hr in 2024). The journeyman salaries after 4 years were even higher---comparable to a staff research position. However, it was not to subtly suggested that at the old age of 36 I would be too old to handle the physical demands, which included but wasn't limited to hauling 2x4s upstairs all day long.

[ffj]

You are a "helper" starting out hoping to become an apprentice. There is no union with stepped pay and we are an "at will" state.

Now in all fairness I haven't called any of the electrical contractors and asked personally and maybe I should but I have a strong sense my Information is pretty close in accuracy. I could be wrong though. Also, the ability to move up in pay is something to ask about too.

In the trades, any "helper" is given the shit work but perversely there is an incentive to not let them progress as it makes life easier for the experienced guys. Also, most people aren"t looking to train someone so that person can leave with the knowledge you've bestowed upon them. Which is exactly what I'm looking for not a second career.

If I call up some of these guys I'll let you know what I find out.

[chenda]

Arboriculturist might fit the bill, if it's an thing where you are ? You don't need to be physical or get your hands dirty, but you can provide professional or regulatory expertise. It's one of the few professions left with a well established vocational route in.

[ffj]

@chenda

Good intuition. I recently made an offer to a nature conservancy about taking care of four of their preserves which includes tree care, trail maintenance, invasive species removal, etc. My conduit was a good friend of mine who already works for them and he constantly relays that his boss complains about being short-staffed. So my friend pitched my offer and offered my phone number to his boss if he would like to discuss further.

Bosses response: we don't have the funding (they rely on donations and grants) and furthermore your contract (my friend) will not be renewed due to lack of funds. Ouch!

I also inquired about a position in a nearby park that I hike everyday and they said if I wanted to cut grass for $10/hour in the summer there is a program to which I could apply. No thanks.

[ffj]

Made a little buddy on a job recently. He is a very expensive toy dog: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/biewer-terrier/

For context on the money scale of the house and property I was working on here is a photo of their $200,000 horse barn for their one horse:



Money, money, money, sure is funny, haha. It was a good easy job though of installing a door that paid well so no complaints. The owners were nice and the dog was cool so life is good. But man, just why?



Recently helped a buddy clear and mark some trails for a nature conservancy.



I was the official hammerer of the nails, a very prestigious position to be sure, but I also showed him how to cut out snags without killing yourself or hanging up your chainsaw so I earned my keep ( he bought my dinner).





I have also applied for a job (blasphemy!) at a nearby preserve. The duties are maintaining trails, wildlife management, invasive species eradication, etc. This job is different from the other position I applied for at a different organization. We'll see what happens but one of my aggravations in applying is that the process has changed so much from my early days. The company lists a job, you apply, and never will you meet a person in this process. I am used to talking with someone which is quite helpful for both parties. Everything is so detached now and quite frankly it removes an advantage I have in selling myself. But I've only applied to four jobs now, two of which are in process, two of which I have been denied but I don't like this game.




Out of the thousands of feet of fence line I share with the neighbors, this 200 foot section was the last of the jungle I inherited. What a mess which took much longer than I anticipated. The plan is to replace the broken down fence at some point but first the debris and overgrowth had to go. I cut, removed, ground out tree stumps, and finished with a controlled burn. Looks much better, even with the crappy fence.





I continue with the YouTube gig even though it's a bit disjointed as far as viewer participation is concerned. I really enjoy comments that ask questions or expand on what I've done but man that doesn't happen nearly as much as I would like. Maybe I am asking too much because I do appreciate someone thanking me or liking and sharing the videos but what I really would like is a bit of a dialogue so it doesn't feel so one dimensional.

Now I was going to start trying to make some professional videos but I just don't have it in me. I am not going to spend a bunch of time editing videos (which encompasses a tremendous amount of resources one doesn't see) when it is hard enough to get motivated to even make the video in the first place. I do try to do better with each video but to get to the level of a professional production is too much of a cost to me at this time. It's a cost/benefit analysis. But I'll continue with the channel until it's too much of a burden because it does provide value. I just keep my expectations low.

[mathiverse]

I have no idea if there is a central office where the public can go for the positions you have applied to or if there is an email of the head of the office, but both avenues of contact have helped land me jobs recently by allowing me to show my enthusiasm directly to a person.

If you can go to the central office/customer service area (even ask the cashier at the gift shop if they know) and ask for the hiring manager, sometimes they can bring a person out for you to chat with (or tell you when to come back for the same).

If there is an email address, shooting over an email and expressing interest and maybe asking a question or two (when will I hear about next steps? etc) can help and allow you to use your charm.

[ffj]

@math

Good advice, but I'm not charming, I'm competent.

I very well may do exactly what you suggest in the future but I'm going to see where my two leads fall first. My fear is that once they see my dates for graduation and the like they will dismiss me as some old dude that can't perform. They need to see me and hear what I have to say to overcome that bias.

We'll see though. Thanks for the advice!