About Me...
I've had a very diverse career. I began my professional career in electronics. My career in electronics quickly evolved into the installation and programming of large PBX telephone systems, call accounting systems and voice mail systems. I later decided to go back to school to get an engineering degree in Computer Science. I was hired as a software engineer at a company that manufactured long distance telephone switching systems which were sold worldwide to major long distant network systems. Some of those older switching systems consisted of many refrigerator sized cabinets that took up an entire floor of the building they were housed in. I was fortunate to get in on the development of the next generation switching system that could handle four times the long distant telephone traffic, yet is only the size of one refrigerator cabinet.
I also worked a couple of years developing web based software for a new startup company in the healthcare industry. Another venture was customizing stock market trading platform software for the trading floors in New York for a major US bank. I then began developing software for almost all major Aerospace and Defense contractor companies in the US and later spent a couple of years as a software engineer on a US Army project.
Currently, I am on a software engineering contract with the LCS (Launch Command System) team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I am developing software for the Launch Command and Control Center. The software allows technicians, engineers, and astronauts in the Launch Center to receive telemetry data from NASA's new SLS rocket system, the payload and the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle during the count-down to launch.
It is really neat to work at such a historical place as NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral and also know that the software I worked on or created from scratch will actually be used when NASA launches the new SLS rocket that will send people back to the Moon. The new rocket will also support the new gateway portal that will orbit the moon while serving as an outpost for landing on the moon, asteroids, asteroids and later will be used to send humans on to Mars. The SLS system is primarily engineered for deep space missions well beyond low Earth orbit.
Incidentally, I've enjoyed reading ever since I first learned to read in elementary school. In fact, in 5th grade, I won the Buddy Bookworm award for reading the most books. My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Clark, was also my first grade teacher. Mrs. Clark, of Victoria Texas, made quite an impression on my reading skills at a very early age. My hat is off to her. She has always been my favorite teacher.
By the way... It's hard to top such a prestigious award as the Buddy Bookworm award...
Randy Jones