A wide range of do-it-yourself (DIY) courses are now available. DIY courses include gardening, home maintenance, cooking, and trades such as bricklaying, paving, carpentry, welding, and plumbing, to name a few. People can enroll in classes to learn about lapidary, soldering, and just about anything else. A simple Internet search will turn up a plethora of DIY courses.
Many home improvement stores offer workshops on home maintenance and simple construction projects. Furniture refinishing, landscaping projects, security light installation, and toolbox construction are all common subjects taught at home improvement center workshops. DIY classes are also available at places like trade schools and college campuses, and online home-based learning classes on a variety of subjects are available.
A DIY course can be short and sweet, lasting only a few hours, or it can be lengthy, lasting several days or weeks. DIY diploma or certificate programs can take months to complete. A workshop on general home improvement will last much longer than a class on a simple project, such as how to make a picture frame. Painting, remodeling, plumbing, and countertop installation are examples of topics covered by the former, which can take months to learn, whereas the latter can be taught in a single morning or afternoon.
Upon completion of some DIY courses, students receive a diploma or certification. After completing these courses, students will be well prepared to work on projects at home. Some people use the skills they learn in DIY courses to get paid jobs where they can put their new skills to use. Others go on to become entrepreneurs and start a home business with their newly acquired skills.
Many DIY courses include food as a topic. Various courses may concentrate on various aspects of food gathering or preparation. A workshop on foraging wild foods, for example, will usually include a hike in the woods or a walk through the countryside while the instructor points out various edible plants and describes how to prepare them. A cooking class might focus on recipes for a particular cuisine, such as French or Moroccan, or it might teach students how to use a specific type of appliance, such as a grill or crockpot.