I've been a welder fabricator for over 40 years semi retired now , only other thing I would like to of done would be a farrier, combine working with hot metal and animals.
Devils forge are good for the money but the blanket lining is bad for you you need to line it with refactory cement. Be ideal for a beginner. a coal or coke forge is a lot more tricky . Fire control and understand the heat takes a while. Coke also dear and harder got. Plenty blacksmiths do a weekend introductory course. Would be well worth doing. Have you got an anvil as there holding there money aswell.
I remember years ago plenty lads laughing at my round mouth digging shovels. Soon changed once terrier was on and we started digging. Then the only question was where could they get one.
We kept native black bees they were very Hardy. Most of stuff b keepers do is for swarm control. We never bothered just kept them and let them get on with it after all they've been doing it long before humans got involved. Just took some honey for ourselves in autumn left them plenty. No feeding No varoa control and it worked fine for a good few years.