People keep asking me what it's like to leave a tech career and start over with your hands.
The honest answer: it's humbling. And expensive. And occasionally terrifying. And also the best thing I've ever done.
The Before
I spent years at Amazon working in software. Comfortable salary, good benefits, interesting problems. But something was missing. I'd get home after a day of meetings and optimizing metrics, and I'd feel... nothing. Like I hadn't actually made anything.
I started woodworking on weekends. A basic bench. Some simple boxes. It was embarrassing at first — I had no idea what I was doing and I ruined a lot of wood. But I also felt something I hadn't felt at work in years: absorption. Time disappeared. I was just *in* it.
The Decision
I didn't rage-quit. I saved for 18 months before I gave notice. I built a financial runway, bought my core tools, set up a small workshop in the garage, and then made the call.
My last day at Amazon, a colleague asked what I was going to do. I said I was going to make cutting boards and put it on YouTube.
He looked at me like I'd said I was going to move to the moon.
The First Year
Here's what actually happened:
Month 1-2: I was terrible. Every board had gaps, uneven thicknesses, bad glue-ups. I watched YouTube videos obsessively. I ruined expensive wood. I questioned my life choices.
Month 3-4: Something clicked. I understood grain direction. My planer snipe got under control. I started making things I wasn't embarrassed to show people.
Month 5-6: I started the YouTube channel. Filming and editing added 10-15 hours to every project. But the community that came back surprised me — real craftspeople sharing real knowledge, not just algorithm engagement.
Month 7-9: First paid commissions. Someone wanted a live edge river table. I'd never built one. I said yes, watched every video I could find, and delivered something I was genuinely proud of.
Month 10-12: I built Mistake Fixer — an app for diagnosing woodworking mistakes with AI. It felt natural: woodworker + software background. A way to help the community I'd become part of.
What I'd Tell Myself
Don't buy tools you don't have skills for yet. I bought a $300 router before I understood when to use it. It sat for four months.
Film everything, even when it's ugly. The videos where I show my mistakes get more views than the polished ones.
Find your community. Reddit, YouTube comments, local woodworking guilds — other makers are generous with knowledge in a way that corporate colleagues often aren't.
It's OK to not know what you're doing. You figure it out. That's the whole thing.
I'm not rich. But I make things. And I can't imagine going back.
— Ben Caparoon
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