I wish there was a shop around where I live (and a good one). I'd offer to work for them for nothing, just to learn what they had to teach. I have thought about buying equipment like an O-scope, but what is the point of having one if I don't learn how to properly use it. There used to be a shop about 25 miles away but, like a lot of shops, it closed its doors from lack of activity. It is too bad. I am looking into enrolling at the University of Maine for Electrical Engineering. It is a little intimidating being that I haven't attended an academic class in about 16 years. If it wasn't for that, I'd be starting in the fall. I can be such a coward sometimes. I have forgotten how to do algebra all together. I would be less intimidated providing free labor in exchange for knowlege and experience. I am a hands on type, otherwise I would use manuals and schematics to teach myself.