I know two CHP officers who own an airplane and decided to get their A&Ps so they could work on it. As cops, they had some schedule flexibility to take classes while working full time. They did the training at a local community college IIRC.

However...they said it ended up being far more work than they had anticipated, and they wouldn't do it again just for recreational purposes. Keep in mind they have families too.

I've thought of getting one someday...I work on old cars a lot, so maybe I could get paid to work on airplanes instead (I live near a busy GA field). I'd like to build an airplane someday too. Of course none of this is going to happen until I'm done with the navy...