I'm Jared - a full-time father, husband, and Manufacturing Engineer. I'm also the second half of the Savvy Saving Couple - My wife Amy and I's first blog.
I've been a tinkerer for as long as I can remember. Starting as young as 5 years-old, I used to sneak into our home's basement to explore my Father's workshop. Those days are what kindled my passion for creating and fixing things.
I started It's a Husband Thing because I believe there is a lack of resources on the internet that benefit my fellow man and maker. My goal is to fill that gap with useful and relevant information for the men I serve, and also their wives or significant others.
The mission of It's a Husband Thing is to provide value to my readers by sharing:
- How to's and DIYs
- Helpful Guides
- Side Hustle Resources
- Recommended Products
- Education
- Entertainment
I started this blog by writing a huge post listing the 55 Tools Every Homeowner Should Own. Since I feel so strongly about the importance of this list, I even created a free checklist you can download to see if you own all the tools.
I'm passionate about everything I write about. Because of this, I'll never write about a service or product I don't use myself and truly enjoy, or would recommend to my closest friends and family. If you're reading this, I appreciate your time and truly want my content to help you in some way.
Why Should You Trust Me?
I'm a seasoned Manufacturing Engineer with experience in both the Aerospace and Medical Device industries. My job focuses on figuring-out how to manufacture real-life critical products in the best and most efficient way possible.
My life is dedicated to solving problems - complex and simple. I believe the best way to learn something new is to get your hands dirty. I jump right into projects and learn as I go. The more mistakes I make, the more I learn!
I graduated from a vocational/technical high school where I learned the fundamentals of machining. I learned how to turn a block (or bar) of raw metal into a precision part. I even built a fully functioning steam engine during my time there.
After graduating, I worked days in a machine shop and went to college at night to earn my Engineering Degree. During that time, I taught myself to program CNC lathes and milling machines and I quickly climbed the ladder.
After graduating with my Engineering Technology Degree, I landed a job as a Quality Engineer at a Medical Device contract manufacturer. It was my job to validate critical parts of medical device (mostly implants) packaging to ensure they remained sterile after packaging.
I learned a huge amount about engineering during my time at that company. I climbed the ladder there too, progressing from Quality Engineer, to Quality Engineer II, to Manufacturing Engineer II.
When I left that company after 10 years, I was the most senior engineer and a mentor to about dozen younger engineers. I designed manufacturing fixtures, validation protocols, and manufacturing processes.
I'm currently employed as a Manufacturing Engineering & Facilities Manager at an Aerospace manufacturing company.
With over 12 years of real world engineering experience and even longer as a manufacturing professional under my belt, I have a keen eye for well built products and can teach anyone how to do technical things.
Because of my technical background I do almost everything myself and can teach others to do the same. That's actually my real job!
A few random facts about me:
- I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
- I enjoy weightlifting and being active.
- I ride a Kawasaki Vulcan 900 motorcycle.
- I don't like crowds, and like to sit in the back row of places.
- Water, Coffee, and beer are my preferred drinks (not necessarily in that order).
- A fat, juicy, medium-rare ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus is currently my favorite meal. (I like to keep my options open)
- I'm a former machinist, and I still have all of my fingers!
- I'm a fast learner.
- I enjoy teaching others.
- I love dark chocolate and most sweets - especially donuts!
I've done some stupid things in my life!
I caused an explosion in my kitchen sink when I was 11 years old messing with butane and a lighter! I suffered 2nd degree burns on my hands and 1st degree burns on my face as a result! I think back about it and laugh.
It makes me chuckle thinking about how my voice sounded as my temporary deafness wore off. I kind of sounded like Sloth from the Goonies!!!!
Two of my friends and I once shot off a size D model rocket engine without the rocket (DO NOT TRY THIS EVER). It shot away from us, then pulled a u-turn and went straight for one of my friends. It attacked him like an angry hornet, burning and tearing up his clothes!
For some sick reason, this was one of the funniest things i've ever experienced! He didn't get hurt bad. It was just a hilarious moment seeing him surrounded by this spiraling tube of fire. I think he unknowingly invented Twerking that day!
I broke my back at the age of 20 "trying" to do a back flip on a trampoline. I don't know what I was thinking. I landed on the back of my neck. My body folded up like a kinked hose and I heard the loudest, most unnerving pops I've ever heard in my life.
I suffered a compression fracture of my number 2 and 3 lumbars. It was the worst full-body pain I have ever experienced!
I Like to Travel
Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I'm always down for a trip. Whether it's for business or pleasure, the thrill of experiencing a new and unfamiliar place makes me happy.
I've seen the entire East Coast of the United States, but only one city on the West Coast - Beverly Hills, CA. I've been to Chicago a bunch of times on business and really enjoyed eating fried cheese curds in Wisconsin during my trip to Allied Laundry!
One of my most memorable trips was to Singen, Germany when I worked for a Medical Device company. I was the Engineering lead on a new project and had to travel to the factory our new machine was being manufactured at to run some tests. It was so cool to see the different architecture in Europe and meet new people.
Connect with me
If you want to collaborate together with me on a project or opportunity, feel free to reach out by email - [email protected]