Highly Skilled Welder & DoorDasher (same person lol) seeking off grid community

Hello and happy Sunday everyone. Thanks for reading this. My name is Jared. I am 39 years old. I recently finally gave up a 15 yr welding career for doordash. Cause on average they now pay the same. I'm actually VERY excited about this as manufacturing culture and employers were eating my soul. I'm so much freeier and happier. That's relevant to this post because I now have the freedom to travel the country and work. I'm from Elkhart Indiana. Since most RV's come from here and I know how poorly built they are with aritificial materials and industry supported drug dependance on the job creating hazardous working conditions for those of us who aren't. I really don't wanna settle permanently anywhere with RV's. If you do though I'm experienced welding their frames and walls. Just saying, I have years of experience building structures that either stand still or can handle driving down the road. I have been to a few welding schools. Have held many certifications during my career.

With my super cheap apartment and ability to work anywhere I desire at any time I intend to start traveling the USA beginning next spring tent camping. I've never found my people. Fast learner. Can contribute welding skills. Or can doordash or find another career if needed. I have a most versatile and adaptable brain. But the idea is to need and use as little money as possible. I'd rather contribute to the community instead if at all possible. I have my own oxy acetylene torch and tig welder. I have extensive experience in all major indoor welding processes and can do many others. Just saying in case that's of use to any communities without a welder. I eat simple and clean, only organic meat, dairy, fruits, and veggies, no boxed foods. I love marijuana and I wear a helicopter hat. Single w/o children.

I could help the group build and sell metal homesteading products to help support the community. Or I could do that on my own within the community to pull my weight. I have a business mindset and survived for a year once on my own independent sales career cause I was just sick of jobs lol. Similar to how I now gave up my welding career for gig work and am doing friggin great with it except I did make more on my sales lol. Idk just thinking out loud and open to suggestions. I am a very healthy individual in very good shape and quite physically capable. I enjoy hard work but not overtime lol. Ample rest is needed for good health, and socialization. Mental health self-care is a big deal to me.

If anyone of this sounds like you'd want to visit you're community please let me know. I will look on my own also but you may like me and I may not find yours on my own.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Hey Jared, I appreciate the offer and enthusiasm. Sounds like a good quest to get out on, and some practical skills to hone further in land-based living spaces. Could probably point you to a few places including my own in northern Cal / southern OR if you make it to the west coast. Are you packing it in and traveling indefinitely with your gear and tools etc on board, or keeping your home base and making some shorter trips out from there?

Thanks Ben.

Thanks Ben.

             As of right now I do NOT intend to travel with any welding gear except for my helmets, gloves, and hand tools. That's a very good question though I'm glad you asked! None of my path is written in stone and everything is open to change. I would intend to not bring the torch or the tig machine and I would maintain my home base until I found another home. Any places you could point me to would be super appreciated! I would like to establish contact/communication with places open to visits.

There are options that I will look into though. My issue is space and weight. I drive a 2014 Toyota Corolla. Equipment can be rented just about anywhere with a sizeable population and I can demonstrate that way. Or frankly, I'm so thankful you brought this up. I'd be best off building another custom trailer with parts from a local farm implement scrapyard. That way I could bring my own gear. And man thanks again for asking this lol. You got me thinking. If I bring my gear I could do gig/contract work with it on my travels.

My apartment is only $500 a month, and it's nice too, very unheard of. So with a cost like that I'll def maintain the home base until I find another home.

I also have industrial robotic programming, troubleshooting, and maintenance experience. I know this might sound weird. But I could absolutely automate portions of off grid life. Fully off grid and independent of any internets. I've found online some opensource AI LLM off grid homesteading SHTF lifestyle server projects. Like literally all of Wikipedia and medical guides and survivalist info, and much more.

Don't get me wrong. I'd actually love a tech free community and I could absolutely thrive there. Though, I also like the idea of a pro-tech off grid community that utilized tech to their advantage without connecting said tech to the internet. I could set up stuff like that. Though it's a continuous learning thing really. I'd like to before I go convert my bicycle to electric by converting a car alternator into a 3 phase motor. I'd also love to build my own electric car. And I stress I can live without all these things. Just thinking out loud more and sharing past and current interests. When I was a teenager I made two gas bikes. One 2 stroke chain drive and one 4 stroke cvt belt drive.

I would love to check out some places in Cali and learn about that state.

Cool, post updates on here as you shape your plans, and I'll see if I can chime in with suggestions. First that comes to mind is a visit to "Factor E Farm" in northern Missouri, the home base of Open Source Ecology project, a long running DIY 'civilization (re)starter kit' initiative and community I bet you'd be stoked on if not already familiar:

https://www.opensourceecology.org/the-bigger-picture-of-ose/

Hi Jared!
I'm 36 as of tomorrow. From New Paris, IN. I have a lot of experience in construction, especially roofing and electrical. I also have been doing Door Dash recently because of the flexibility. I dream of finding or building a community to work together and grow food. I would love to meet you and see if we get along!