When I was in high school & college, I never thought I'd be a computer programmer! I never would have guessed what an interesting field it could be. For example, I've never worked in the medical field, but I've helped to develop a new medical application that will help doctors and other medical professionals treat wounds that won't heal. Our software helps to track the progress of the healing process, so that the physician will have photos, treatment notes, and history at his fingertips. Along the way, I've learned a lot about that field of medicine.
On other projects, I've learned about all kinds of things: how sugarcane is harvested, how a child care center is run, how metal alloys are manufactured, even how hazardous wastes are disposed of. My education never seems to stop. I've learned about banking and insurance, real estate and construction, agriculture and shipping, and I've met a lot of interesting people along the way. A good computer program and systems analyst becomes part of the work environment, to see how the tasks are really done, in order to do them better.
My first career involved accounting and management for a Fortune 500 company. My second career, in the programming and software business, has given me a great overview of the whole Texas business community. I work with the small and mid-sized business as well as the big corporations. Some of the small businessmen have been the most impressive; because you really have to be an expert in your field to succeed in a small business. It doesn't really matter if you make the best taco or the best metal alloys - as long as you know what you're doing and do it well, it will have value in the marketplace. We try to provide our clients with the most efficient software to run their businesses smoothly; and we can be as proud of a job well done as a doctor is when he sees his patient healthy again. One thing we've seen time and again is that when businesses take pride in their product or service, they do a lot better over the long haul than some outfit that's just trying to make a quick buck.
When people ask me why I'm so optimistic about the Houston business outlook, I have to tell them it's because I know how dedicated Houston businesspeople are, across the whole spectrum of different industries. The quality of work and the energy they put into it is paying off in more opportunities for our young people and better lives for all of us.