6 ms·

I was a software engineer for 13 years. I left the bay area and moved to idaho during covid. bought 20 acres of organic farmland with water rights. and i learne

I was a software engineer for 13 years. I left the bay area and moved to idaho during covid. bought 20 acres of organic farmland with water rights. and i learned how to build houses in order to build my own house. now i have a business framing houses and a farm. im growing peas and barley this year. what do you want to know?

gravypod 4y ago
What material did you study to learn how to build houses? Did you shadow someone else while they did it? Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or something?
- baremetal 4y ago
  i went up to a jobsite and asked for a job. worked for a year doing that. made friends with a master carpenter i worked with and we teamed up to start the business.
  - bitcoinmoney 4y ago
    Do you mind sharing how much income you get from the business now? Just want to see how much opportunity there is
    - baremetal 4y ago
      Depends on how much i want to work. But around $50-60/hr.
      - deleted 4y ago
        [deleted]
- baremetal 4y ago
  also larry haun videos (yt) and his book, the very efficient carpenter.
number6 4y ago
Where to begin? Is there a blog or something that you have written which tells your journey?
- baremetal 4y ago
  making a site documenting the journey is on the list. i have taken a lot of pictures and some video.
jdironman 4y ago
Not OP, but do you find yourself leaning towards software to solve farm / construction problems or do you try to do it using 'traditional' methods?
- baremetal 4y ago
  great question. im designing a system for remote watering control. im always looking to optimize.
recvonline 4y ago
Basically how hard it was to leave your community behind, make new connections and find engaging conversations with new friend. I am drawn to the tech scene beacause or the intellectual exchanges, and I am worried farming communities might not be where I can thrive! Other than that: Income. How did you adjust to a lower level income in the beginning?
- kilroy123 4y ago
  Interesting you say this. I've been a software engineer for ~13 years as well. I find I have much more interesting and intellectual conversations with people outside of tech.
  - senbrow 4y ago
    The tech crowd is incredibly "one note" personality-wise compared to the general population! One big reason I had to leave after ten years as a SWE.
    - whiplash451 4y ago
      You won’t meet the « general » population in the heartland. I understand the appeal of leaving the monoculture of SV tech, but deciding to farm instead is quite a leap.
  - jppope 4y ago
    > "I find I have much more interesting and intellectual conversations with people outside of tech." No truer words have ever been written...
- baremetal 4y ago
  > Basically how hard it was to leave your community behind, make new connections and find engaging conversations with new friend. Out at the farm its real easy to meet people and make new friends. Your neighbors will go out of their way to come meet you, and are overwhelmingly friendly. If you are friendly, well spoken, honest, not inflammatory, cooperative; then you will do fine. People are helpful and there is an air of reciprocity. In town its more difficult, but that is the same anywhere. > I am drawn to the tech scene beacause or the intellectual exchanges, and I am worried farming communities might not be where I can thrive! I learn a tremendous amount from the locals. But i have an expanded sense of what is interesting. I dabble in just about everything. Yes the available intellectual stimulation has changed. People arent particularly tech savvy here. There are a fair number of science and medical folk. Intelligent people are distributed everywhere, but it would be up to you to find them and stoke their interest in technology. I would say there is a market opportunity in starting up a coding bootcamp here. If i had more time and resources I would start one. > Other than that: Income. How did you adjust to a lower level income in the beginning? I have no debt for one. I have no dependents. And i reduced my standard of living temporarily, lived in a trailer on the land. I was making $15 an hour for the year i was learning. Now, the business (first contract was in Jan 2022) is producing more than enough for me to live on. And i have passive income from the farm, for now, while i make the necessary improvements. it produces a ~2% dividend, which i re-invest. I have definitely made a fair number of tradeoffs. But it is a vast improvement on how my life was going before. I was depressed. I think the whole city lifestyle induced depression in me, and led me to cope in unhealthy ways. I'm now in the best shape of my life, and im happy. And i'm slowly building a network of people i enjoy being around, something i didnt have nearly enough of living in the bay area. No support real structure. I have one here, already, 2 years in. On the other hand, its far more physical. But i wanted that after 13 years of sitting.
markdown 4y ago
> i learned how to build houses Where/how did you learn?
ed25519FUUU 4y ago
What part of Idaho?
- baremetal 4y ago
  southern.
xxxtentacijs 4y ago
Possible to chat more? Am writing about returning to humanity (example: https://backtohumanity.substack.com/p/the-need-for-new-communities-in-the?s=w https://backtohumanity.substack.com/p/the-need-for-new-commu...). Could you send me an email: daosalon /a--t/ protonmail?

gravypod 4y ago

What material did you study to learn how to build houses? Did you shadow someone else while they did it? Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity or something?

baremetal 4y ago
i went up to a jobsite and asked for a job. worked for a year doing that. made friends with a master carpenter i worked with and we teamed up to start the business.
- bitcoinmoney 4y ago
  Do you mind sharing how much income you get from the business now? Just want to see how much opportunity there is
  - baremetal 4y ago
    Depends on how much i want to work. But around $50-60/hr.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
baremetal 4y ago
also larry haun videos (yt) and his book, the very efficient carpenter.

number6 4y ago

Where to begin? Is there a blog or something that you have written which tells your journey?

baremetal 4y ago
making a site documenting the journey is on the list. i have taken a lot of pictures and some video.

jdironman 4y ago

Not OP, but do you find yourself leaning towards software to solve farm / construction problems or do you try to do it using 'traditional' methods?

baremetal 4y ago
great question. im designing a system for remote watering control. im always looking to optimize.

recvonline 4y ago

Basically how hard it was to leave your community behind, make new connections and find engaging conversations with new friend. I am drawn to the tech scene beacause or the intellectual exchanges, and I am worried farming communities might not be where I can thrive! Other than that: Income. How did you adjust to a lower level income in the beginning?

kilroy123 4y ago
Interesting you say this. I've been a software engineer for ~13 years as well. I find I have much more interesting and intellectual conversations with people outside of tech.
- senbrow 4y ago
  The tech crowd is incredibly "one note" personality-wise compared to the general population! One big reason I had to leave after ten years as a SWE.
  - whiplash451 4y ago
    You won’t meet the « general » population in the heartland. I understand the appeal of leaving the monoculture of SV tech, but deciding to farm instead is quite a leap.
- jppope 4y ago
  > "I find I have much more interesting and intellectual conversations with people outside of tech." No truer words have ever been written...
baremetal 4y ago
> Basically how hard it was to leave your community behind, make new connections and find engaging conversations with new friend. Out at the farm its real easy to meet people and make new friends. Your neighbors will go out of their way to come meet you, and are overwhelmingly friendly. If you are friendly, well spoken, honest, not inflammatory, cooperative; then you will do fine. People are helpful and there is an air of reciprocity. In town its more difficult, but that is the same anywhere. > I am drawn to the tech scene beacause or the intellectual exchanges, and I am worried farming communities might not be where I can thrive! I learn a tremendous amount from the locals. But i have an expanded sense of what is interesting. I dabble in just about everything. Yes the available intellectual stimulation has changed. People arent particularly tech savvy here. There are a fair number of science and medical folk. Intelligent people are distributed everywhere, but it would be up to you to find them and stoke their interest in technology. I would say there is a market opportunity in starting up a coding bootcamp here. If i had more time and resources I would start one. > Other than that: Income. How did you adjust to a lower level income in the beginning? I have no debt for one. I have no dependents. And i reduced my standard of living temporarily, lived in a trailer on the land. I was making $15 an hour for the year i was learning. Now, the business (first contract was in Jan 2022) is producing more than enough for me to live on. And i have passive income from the farm, for now, while i make the necessary improvements. it produces a ~2% dividend, which i re-invest. I have definitely made a fair number of tradeoffs. But it is a vast improvement on how my life was going before. I was depressed. I think the whole city lifestyle induced depression in me, and led me to cope in unhealthy ways. I'm now in the best shape of my life, and im happy. And i'm slowly building a network of people i enjoy being around, something i didnt have nearly enough of living in the bay area. No support real structure. I have one here, already, 2 years in. On the other hand, its far more physical. But i wanted that after 13 years of sitting.

markdown 4y ago

> i learned how to build houses Where/how did you learn?

ed25519FUUU 4y ago

What part of Idaho?

baremetal 4y ago
southern.

xxxtentacijs 4y ago

Possible to chat more? Am writing about returning to humanity (example: https://backtohumanity.substack.com/p/the-need-for-new-communities-in-the?s=w https://backtohumanity.substack.com/p/the-need-for-new-commu...). Could you send me an email: daosalon /a--t/ protonmail?