Network Engineering

network engineering

My educational background was in electrical engineering, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1996.

At the time of my graduation, I had narrowed job offers to two top choices.

Option One was to work in a well-defined role for a major defense contractor in Maryland, essentially designing and building brains for smart bombs.

Option Two was less well-defined, instead starting out in an intensive telecommunications training program for a major telecommunications company. After several months among a few-dozen peers, we would be ranked according to performance in the program and then jobs across this company (which was large enough to have many areas, including Frame Relay, ATM, IP, Sales, Operations, Government Services, and more) would be posted. One's rank in the program would determine job selection order.

At the time, the decision seemed tough. Certainty and higher pay versus uncertainty and lower pay, but additional training.

Looking back, with the hindsight of my philosophy of service to others, I know there was only one choice I could have ever made. The recruiter for the defense contractor was furious as my declination of their offer, and thus began my foray into global telecommunications and networking.

Sprint

1996 - 1998

SprintLink Engineering: Sprint was the major US Internet backbone at the time

Sprint DialNet Engineering: SDN carried a majority of the modem-based access traffic for AOL, which was the major ISP at the time. (Remember all those disks and CDs you always got?)

Qwest

1998 - 2000

Recruited in 1998 and moved to Colorado as part of initial team to transform Qwest from "fiber in the ground" construction company into major global networking powerhouse.

Building on foundation of IP Network Engineering, became Lead Engineer of many services over IP, including Voice over IP, Fax over IP, Unified Messaging, and more.

Virtela

2000 - 2008

Employee #9 and Engineer #1 at Telecommunications startup, Virtela Communications.

Building on foundation of IP Network as transport commodity and knowledge of enhanced product and service delivery, served as a principal engineer in the development of Virtela as a Virtual Network Operator, providing Global IP-VPN and managed security services through novel technology.

Indepent Consultant

2008 - present

Not out of choice, but necessity due to the ridiculous construct of the American Health Insurance scheme, I branched out into independent consulting while still developing and growing skillsets developed through prior employment.

It turns out that having a child with a chronic illness that costs at least $1 Million per year in maintenance therapy (excluding unforeseen events that could drive that cost into multiple millions) is bad for business. My prior employer was very gracious and did not want to lose me as an employee, but my new life as an independent consultant has led to new and interesting opportunities.

This was pre-Affordable Care Act, and our family's experiences and story drove us, as a family, to enter the narrative and discourse around redefining health care in the United States. In the drafting of the ACA legislation, I tetsified to Congress on the problems of Underinsurance and the failings of the existing system. It was well-received (except by a few legislators that stormed out when I cleverly answered their "gotcha" questions), and I was informed that it was key in bringing the elimination of Lifetime Caps into Day One of implementation of the ACA. (We had been capped out of multiple insurance plans by this time.)

The work is not yet done, and the ACA was probably the best outcome that could have been hoped for under those conditions. I still cannot expect to work for any company with 100+ employees, as those companies are subject to Large Group underwriting rules, and any prior claims experience (such as our $1MM/year) would go directly into the company's underwriting -- meaning the impact of my employment alone would cost any company at least that much in additional premium.

So I maintain my status as an Independent Consultant while continuing to fight for meaningful health care and labor reform that treats all residents equitably with guaranteed access to all necessary medical care and reduces burdens on businesses for the overhead, waste, and unnecessary involvement in selecting and paying for employee private health insurance.

Report abuse