My Post Retirement Education

As part of my retirement, my company allotted up to $5000 over 2 years to use for post retirement education.  The only restriction, that I recall, is the funds could not be used for golf lessons.

I used my funds to take courses at a local vocational school.  The knowledge I learned from these courses have been very useful in retirement.  Here are the courses I took:

• Electrical wiring.  This was a course that enabled me to qualify as an apprentice electrician. I learned how to correctly wire outlets, switch boxes and lights.   Prior to this course, I would rewire elements as I found them. With the course, I was able to know when elements in our house were not wired correctly (but not dangerously) and rewire them correctly when making changes.
• Plumbing.  A basic plumbing course to qualify as an apprentice.   For me, plumbing was not as complicated and more intuitive than the electrical wiring course. However, I wasn't able to solder copper pipe correctly.  I still learned enough to be more adept at simple repairs.
• Masonry.  Again a basic course to qualify for apprenticeship.   I learned that I could never do masonry work well, e.g build a straight wall.   I did learn enough to do basic minor repairs.
• Landscaping.    Although this course covered design, my best takeaway was how and when to prune trees.
• Cooking.   I learned some cooking skills and got some good recipes to use at home.  I must admit the best part of this course was eating the meals we prepared in class.

I enjoyed all these courses, mainly because they expanded my personal capabilities to do basic repairs on our house and save the cost of hiring someone.

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

This is not financial, home maintenance nor education advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

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