I had the privilege of working with one of their largest clients helping them understand the software that was running their business. For a variety of reasons, they were stuck relying on software with limited internal expertise and needed outside help to understand how the various pieces fit together.I was able to map out dependencies for the various components, identify problem areas in data access, and identify some gaps in business logic. I also able to map out a big picture of what an ideal solution to these problem areas would look like and discuss various strategies for transitioning to an ideal implementation.Along the way, I was able to provide DotNet training to remove some of the mystery and intimidation surrounding Reflection and training on how the CodeDom could solve some performance issues.No feeling in the world can compare to watching the light turn on when a colleague truly understands a new concept that he has been wrestling with.

EquiFirst was a small mortgage company doing $40 million in monthly funded volume. It grew to over $2 billion.I worked with a group of dedicated professionals committed to the ideal that we win together or we fail together. These team mates all shared the belief that I will not let you fail.We installed a loan origination system on time and under budget. We Converted a retail conforming LOS into a whole sale non conforming LOS.This system grew with EquiFirst through rapid growth. It grew from 15 thousand square feet of office space to over 180 thousand square feet. It grew from $40 million a month in funded volume to $2 billion and beyond. It grew from an IT staff of less than 20 to one of over 100. It grew from a staff of a couple of hundred to a staff of several thousand.I was privileged to work with some very talented individuals who believed that “difficult” means we will have it ready soon and “impossible” means let us think about it for a little while.

Fleet Mortgage Group was my first job out of college. I learned a great deail here. Shortly after I left, Fleet Mortgage was acquired by Washington Matual.Not all of my experiences here were positive. Many of the ideas we as technologists had were adhead of their time and would be better implemented with today's technology base.Still I learned soem very valuable powerful lessons that have served me well to this day.You must have the support of your user community for anything to work.You must build a solid base as close to you as you can before you start supporting remote clients.Your end users must want the problems that you are working to solve to be solved.Dedicated, talented people alone will not guarantee that a project succeeds.In the end, I made several friends that I treasure to this day. I learned as much about what not to do as what to do, and I lost my naive optimism of a college student thrilled to enter the real world