Nope.  Only hired them.  I'm the skinny math geek.  I do my own electrical work for 110V.  I hire a pro for 220V.  I do my own minor plumbing repairs.  I used to do my own car repairs, including rebuilding the engine.  But I got rid of my car (wife still has one) in 2005 and got a bicycle.  Car was too expensive for commuting, and I actually got a little bit of muscle.

Our family was officially below the Virginia "poverty" line.  I could have had more effective income by working part time in retail and taking the "earned income credit" and sending our girls to government schools.  That last was the deal breaker.  (I would also likely have been fired from retail as I don't have much patience for fools and "Karens".)

I'm in a similar position.  Was laid off in 2020, and only making a few thousand a year on hourly jobs.  All the jobs here in the Shadow of Mordor are things like "building the CBDC", "vaccine passports", "correlating phone GPS with political orientation based on social media posts", "new weapons for defense industry", etc.  That last is actually Constitutional, but not for me.  I can't keep secrets and don't like modern weapons.  And the "military industrial complex" is currently VERY addicted to escalating cash flows from endless wars.

I lived with roommates to be able to pay for college while working without debt.  We were the "Five Guys".  Too bad we didn't trademark it.  We also cooked and catered parties.   These were all Christian guys.  It was the tail end of the Jesus Revolution in the 70s.  Check out the excellent movie of the same name.  It is very accurate.  I often visited Calvary Chapel while living in CA.

Today, the price of college is ridiculously inflated.  If you don't have the cash, don't do it.  Even if you do have the cash, it is usually a bad investment today because it is so overpriced.  Do an alternative (online classes) to actually learn stuff.  And keep a portfolio of accomplishments - much more persuasive than a degree.