Jul 2003 – Jul 2010 · 7 yrs 1 mo
Falls Church, Virginia · Hybrid
I designed, developed, and maintained numerous web applications, databases, and SharePoint integration solutions. This involved overseeing the entire lifecycle of these projects. I spearheaded the design and development of web-based contract management systems to facilitate planning, compliance, and report creation. Leveraging technologies like VB.NET with Active Server Pages and SQL Server 2000, and later C#, ASP.NET, LINQ, and SQL Server 2005, I ensured efficient project execution. Third-party tools such as DeKlarit were utilized for database design. I led the development of a web-based enterprise knowledge management solution, involving the migration of an existing application from Classic ASP to ASP.NET. This included migrating data into a new database schema to support data replication across multiple networks and adding PKI support for enhanced security. Additionally, I contributed to projects such as a web-based program and a project assessment review system for NASA, ensuring compliance with accessibility standards and working with their single sign-on system. I also designed and developed a virtual environment within Second Life for CSC’s 50th anniversary, fostering employee engagement. Furthermore, I created a comprehensive database and website to track training participants from around the world. Migrating from an Access database to C#, ASP.NET, and SQL Server 2000, I enhanced data management capabilities and streamlined processes by enabling Excel spreadsheet imports.
The initial project was Enterprise Knowledge Management (e-KM), and support for it continued for years.
When moving over to the new organization, I was placed in a room with a few other developers on the project. Eventually, I moved into a room next to an employee I had worked with at my previous organization, who helped me understand how corporations work. She also advised me to contact her organization if I wanted to transfer over, as they couldn’t poach from each other. I would often help her with code, familiarize her with the IDE. She was originally from Turkey and learned English in the UK, so I would often help with grammar when reviewing emails she wanted to send. Eventually, she moved up into management, and I became her subordinate.
At one point, we moved out of Rosslyn and over to Falls Church on Fairview Park Drive. I had my own cubicle, a change from sharing an office room with others after the move to Fairview Park. The place had tall ceilings about twice the height of a normal ceiling. A few of us suspected the place had once been a bank. With the change to a nice, fancy building and what seemed like a rich neighborhood, I initially felt out of place, a sense of not belonging.
One notable feature was a large pond in front of the building, with a walkway around it. In some parts of the path, the grass would grow up taller than me. I would see turtles, ducks, and fish. We often had geese visiting, and each year, a man and a dog would come by after a week or two and chase them off. The pond was a great way to destress from what was going on in the office.
Sometimes an older gentleman with an old bicycle would be practicing tai chi or playing a flute. My imagination would run wild, filling in stories about why he was playing the flute. I submitted it as a 100-word story titled “Legend at the Water’s Edge.”
