I took a break from a 15 year tech career, taught myself, bought my own tools, built my own machine shop in the garage, learned hand scraping, rebuilt a surface grinder and decided I'd apply to a local shop. I bought all the tools a local retired toolmaker had. Bought probably $50k worth of tools.

I've been doing CAD since AutoCAD 9. Taught myself Fusion 360, and Autodesk Inventor. Fixed a local guy's CNC machine a couple times, so he gave me a key and told me I could use the machines whenever he wasn't using them. I would run parts for him, and then learn CAM on my own parts with my own tools.

I got the job at the local shop. Walked in with a small Kennedy box on my first day with some of the tools from my big box at home, made a part on the prototrak without really bothering anyone.

They started me at $12/hr with some benefits and 401k.

I was making $200k in my tech gig, and $60/hr in my shop at home.