A few fun facts about myself
I'm a full blown night owl
My passion is designing & 3D Printing
I like taking things apart and love building things
As a child I was always fascinated by ATV's, boats and airplanes
I lived in Florida, Kansas, Washington, Arizona and California
Last time I checked my FICO score it was over 800
I love learning new things although I hate reading (hands-on, audible and youtube is my way)
I had a myspace account
My favorite color is blue
I love coffee & hate cancer
I averaged 4 hours & 31 mins of sleep last year
Between my girlfriend & I, we made & personally delivered 1000 Face shields to our local healthcare workers on our own time & resources during the 2020 pandemic
I'm a preemie baby, the eldest in my family and the first grandchild in my family
I'm a huge fan of Dragon Ball Z & The Simpsons
I used to love flying my DJI Phantom drone
I have an Indian Ring-necked parrot named Goku
I love to play paintball but don't watch sports
My favorite meal is a Sonoran Hot Dog without onions and 3 carne asada tacos
The first time I gave blood I passed out
Understanding who I am as a person
As an engineer at heart with an entrepreneur spirit and desire to learn new things, it's hard to find free time. But when I do, I like going on walks, spending time with my family, star gazing, eating pizza and love watching movies in the front section of the movie theater. If I happen to have a stressful day at work, the best medicine for me is to head downtown for a slice of pizza or maybe a drink with my partner in crime. Of course, all these experiences are amplified when our friends join in the fun.
On our more adventurous days, we gear up and hit the trails on 4X4's ready with ATV's, food and some firepower for an extra kick. Some days we head out to the desert, some days up to the mountains, some days upstate to ski and if I'm lucky a paintball field trip. I love having cookouts with good friends and staying up until the sunrise.
If I'm fortunate to carve a few days off from my full-time job, I enjoy traveling and trying new things. A few places I have been include; NYC, Miami, San Francisco, Mexico City and the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza. I would love to see the Northern Lights, visit Tokyo and get married in Bora Bora.
Others describe me as ambitious, nerdy, a goofball and compassionate. I thoroughly enjoy mentoring and volunteering. I've volunteered in several charity events to support the fight against cancer, to promote higher education among the youth and delivered 1000 face shields to our local healthcare workers during the 2020 pendemic.
History
My journey in becoming an engineer starting from college to really buckling down at Embry-Riddle has been one of the proudest accomplishments in my life. Although I had landed to what I thought was my dream job as an Aeronautical Engineer before graduating, it had soon disappeared. With the government shutdown of late 2013 causing my layoff in 2014 and the passing of my father during that same time, I felt I had hit rock bottom.
With a single year of engineering experience under my belt and my father passing away, I struggled with finding another engineering opportunity and had no choice but to move back to Arizona. My life had changed. The passing of my dad was beyond heartbreaking. My quality of life had changed from holding the title of an Aeronautical Engineer designing, optimizing and simulating aerospace components to working as a Contact Center Agent. I was devastated.
Although I was able to quickly move up in rank, receive promotions and become known as one of the top agents, my passion was engineering. In fact, in 2016 I sacrificed a pay cut to take on the role of a Manufacturing Process Engineer. Many questioned my decision, but I knew. I knew this would be my foot in the door. And it was.
Although I genuinely aimed at making this my permanent role, I quickly realized that this company was not for me. The job conditions were extremely uncomfortable. Imagine having to work with safety glasses, ear plugs, kevlar sleeves, steel-toed shoes and in 100 degree weather in front of a computer. This was not my idea of a career.
But I learned something. I noticed that many of my coworkers had so much potential to become more, yet many purposely stayed in their place. As one coworker put it:
"I'm comfortable here and don't want to leave my comfort zone. You get used to this." - Anonymous.
Starting as an entrepreneur
During one of my study sessions at Cartel Coffee Lab, while browsing Craigslist, I found an ad for a part-time Mechanical Design Engineer. Here’s where it really started.
Where I spent a good chunk of my day
applying for different career opportunities
I got the job offer! However, I wasn't prepared to accept a new 9-5 position that could only guarantee an income for a pair of months. But, I scored a referral from the interviewer with a local artist. Next thing I knew, I accepted my very first gig to design a structural frame and build an FEA model. So I had to quickly come up with a name and the best I could do was to use my email address, "Zacarias Engineering." Since then, I’ve left my doors open to take on side gigs that has now developed into a solid part-time job designing and 3D printing where it and I continue to grow.
Continuing with my engineering career
Eventually, my life would change again when I accepted a permanent position in California as a Manufacturing Engineer in the industry I love, aerospace. I learned so many valuable skills and met so many amazing people that I was able to work with and closely bond including my immediate manufacturing engineering and production team.
My first proud 3D Printed design
Dedicated to my friend and fellow manufacturing engineer teammate, Arunita.
From here I moved on to bigger and betters things and moved back to Tucson as a Mechanical Engineering II where I continue to grow and expand my engineering knowledge from design, development, sustainment and to full-on factory production.