Renaissance Man

As I near the completion of my continuing education classes, I feel like a renaissance man, even though I didn't get to take all the courses I originally planned to do. So far I've completed courses in Masonry, Electrical Wiring, Gourmet Cooking and Residential Landscaping. Currently I'm taking a Plumbing course. In the future, I'm planning to take a real estate agent licensing course and Travel and Tourism course. I am also considering taking courses in real estate appraisal, home inspection and bartending.

Here's house the courses have been useful to me so far:

Minor electrical work. From the course, I learned that a common practice was to wire an outdoor outlet to an internal GFIC outlet, which then provided protection to a regular outlet. Using a special tester, I was able to confirm that all outdoor outlets were GFIC protected. I also identified the internal GFIC outlet to which is was wired. Thus, I have confirmed that all GFIC protected outlets are working and now know which GFIC circuit is tripped if there is a ground fault.

Taking the course also gave me the confidence to rewire our gas stove, which I shorted out when I spilled a pot of water on the switches. In addition, I have been able differentiate original wiring from added wiring, and know that the additions were done correctly.

Estimated savings: $200

Brickwork repair. I now know how to repair mortar joints in both walkways and a building. A big benefit was find a local mortar distributor that was able to match the mortar color of my house. This will be a project for this spring.

Savings: $5000

Restaurant business perspective. The gourmet cooking class taught be that I don't want to be in the restaurant business. However, I learned few great recipes that I can now cook at home. My favorites are Teriyaki Salmon and Strawberries Flambe.

Tree Trimming. I now have a better understanding of how and when (late fall to late winter) to prune trees. I've been slowly working through our yard and will hopefully complete the job by early March.

Estimated savings: $300

Copper soldering. I always wanted to learn how to correctly solder copper piping. Now I know and have done it successfully. I may use the skills to create a copper pipe yard sprayer for our daughter's enjoyment.

Hopefully, I will get as much benefit out of the remaining courses. Tentatively, I'm investigating becoming a part time real estate agent. The course should help me make a better decision. The travel and tourism course will hopefully provide some insight into that business.

For more on Reaping the Rewards, check back every Friday for a new segment.

This is not financial, home repair, or career advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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