I'm practicing to go full-time -kinda. My father was an old-school T&D maker and retired in 1980. One uncle (who lived with us) was a metallurgist and another was a general machinist. I grew up with a 16x54 Leblond lathe and Cincinnati mill in the garage and spent my years from 6 years old through teens in the garage. When I took high school machine shop, I finished all 4 projects (a hammer, a screwdriver, a tap handle and welded lock box) in the first week and the teacher let me do other things and help others the rest of the time. He wouldn't let me sign-up for the next courses because he said there was nothing I could learn there. I wasn't a trouble maker and that's not why he wouldn't let me join. Instead, I took auto mechanics but my father wanted me to be an engineer. I liked math and earned a degree in physics and later on, electrical engineering and computer science all while working and raising 3 boys.
About 25 years ago, I worked part-time at a friend's gun shop that had a full shop. Learned some pistol/rifle repair there from a good gunsmith. After that, I started rebuilding antique vertical diesel engines and generator sets. That got out of control and at one time, had about 5-6 tons of old iron -prefectly rebuilt. Sold it all off and started to build a garage machine shop. It now occupies the entire 2.5 car garage and is pretty well equipped, heated and well lit. I do work for a local marina and a local lawn tractor repair place. Mostly repairs and recreations and some new fabrication. I do cool projects of my own and taught myself 3D CAD. It really helps think things through.
Anyhow, given the state of economy, I probably won't retire in the traditional way -not sure I want to actually. The garage shop is something I hope to do 10 years from now when I'm supposed to retire... I'm in the process of setting-up an LLC for the shop.
Ray