Things are calming down a bit. One of the questions I get asked often
is: What exactly do you do? And my 5000 ft answer is "I work with
computers." So I shall now drill it down a bit. First of all generically
I can be called a "government sub-contractor". Now the specifics. I am
CEO of my own corporation, Motivium Consulting Incorporated. I have a
contract with MSD Inc, which was recently bought out by Lockheed Martin,
so now I have a contract with Lockheed Martin. This contract is to do
work for the Department of Treasury, specifically the IRS. The work I
contracted out to do is generically classified as a "Computer
Programmer". So that is my title. However, I am not an employee of any
organization except my own, so I am not bound by any employee
obligations like hours and company policies. I also do not have any
benefits through these companies. I get paid by the hour before taxes
and I submit invoices the way most companies do. It could be said that
Lockheed Martin and the IRS are both my clients. Now, what is it I
actually do? Even though I am a CEO I like to call myself what I do - a
software architect. As a software architect I am responsible for taking
the software requirements and designing and coding a new system. It is
comparable to a building architect who designs buildings, except part of
my duties is also building the building. I also have a team of people
that take my designs and add code as well. Code is the actual
programming lines that get created. A Software Architect has to know all
of the ins and out of programming and system design. They have to be
able to take a vision and put it into reality. For instance I could
design and code the next Microsoft Word. I love my job. I have a chance
to be creative and to make a difference, especially here at the IRS. To
think that next week real tax returns will get sent through my system is
pretty cool. And that we will be helping the government find bad guys is
awesome as well. I am proud of the system that was created. We have
worked for over a year developing a true enterprise wide system that can
work on supercomputers. That is cool. Anyways, so that is what I do.
Confused?

Thought of the Day
"It's Fusilli Jerry! It's made from fusilli pasta. See the microphone?"
"When did you do this?"
"In my spare time. You know, I'm working on one of you George. I'm using
ravioli. See, the hard part is to find a pasta that captures the
individual."
"Why fusilli?"
"Because you're silly. Get it?"
- Kramer and Jerry, in "The Fusilli Jerry"

// posted by Brian @ 2/08/2007 03:46:00 PM