Reply to: What was the most interesting project you worked on as a contractor

[rb621]

Pools prediction

Most interesting project I worked on was a football pools prediction program when I was 14 on my ZX Spectrum.

Obviously it didn't work.

Actually the really most interesting project, or contract rather was with the Foreign Office - developed Visa immigration solution that allowed all those foreign I.T. workers into the country lol, but seriously did some great work, mentored developers and travelled the world with them for over 3 years.

Happy days.

[thunderlizard]

I've never worked on an interesting contract so can I tell you about the most interesting job advert I ever saw?

It was to maintain the PriceWaterhouseCoopers email/internet profanisaurus, and would have involved staying up to date with the latest swears, cusswords and terms of virulent abuse. PWC must receive a lot of those.

Another one was quite short, but did say it needed experience of Access, VB and missile targeting systems

[eyetie]

It has to be...

A couple of years ago, I worked for a high st. bank (don't ask, don't tell). I was living rent-free with a mate about 3 minutes walk from the office building so I could take mid-morning/afternoon breaks back in my room watching the telly, checking the net etc. Even better, I kept bumping into my mate's cleaner and ended up starting sleeping with her at lunchtimes whenever she came around.

[lightng]

The best place for me was an official secrets gig as well. Really the whole project was tulipe and it got canned but the things I got to see made it all worth while.

Please spill. What did you see? Alien bodies ? Evidence incriminating members of the royal family?

[minestrone]

The best place for me was an official secrets gig as well. Really the whole project was tulipe and it got canned but the things I got to see made it all worth while.

[VectraMan]

I worked on something analyzing video streams. That was interesting and learned loads doing it, and got a whole project to do by myself and see through to completion, which is always good.

I do get excited by my plan B, though that tends to get in the way of getting on with it.

[lightng]

I developed a contact management system for my dad when I was 12. I'd only done games before that. As a contact management system it wasn't very good but I like to think the dancing sprites and catchy theme music more than made up for it.

[wurzel]

Did an Internet Check In System / boarding card scanning system for BAA. Did the whole lot myself - took a year to do. Lots of pressure but very rewarding. It doesn't feature as strongly in my cv as I would like it to though, reason being it went live the day terminal 5 opened! (guilt by assocaition and all that)

[slickcontractor]

i worked for an insurance company for 18 months. Took daily 2 hr lunchs, strolled in btwn 9 to 11 every day, left not later than 6 pm, worked a total of 20hrs a week, worked 2hrs on sat n 2hrs on a sunday n invoiced for a whole day at double the rate in the weekends....ME n my bestest figured out how to automate and analyse 200 + files with min ease. God bless self funded training. The best bit is the test manager wants us back. That has been saved for a rainy day

[pmeswani]

Somewhere near Vauxhall. If I told you more, I'd have to kill you.

Strange you should say that. I also work near Vauxhall.

[TheFaQQer]

Somewhere near Vauxhall. If I told you more, I'd have to kill you.

have you strapped to a table while a laser inches slowly towards your groin to cut you in half, before you escape.

I wonder who it could be???

[NotAllThere]

Somewhere near Vauxhall. If I told you more, I'd have to kill you.

Of the ones I can talk about, Channel Tunnel was pretty cool, developing an office application, that linked together various disparate parts of the operation, to make sure, for example, that the food truck went to the same platform that the HGV shuttles were going from. It was rather nice when all Chunnel staff knew the name of the application you were single-handedly working on. It was also pretty cool have a badge that gave me access to pretty much everwhere on the site.

[Liability]

worked at a well known high street bank and was on a Daily rate - Invoiced for 6 weeks of work for every 4 week period, for around 11 months! Was awesome.

Was asked to do this as was working all the hours the great one could send!

[TheFaQQer]

Current project.

Can't tell you about it without breaching certain legislation that I'm not allowed to discuss. However, you can probably pick up the details on a train into London any day soon.....

[ChimpMaster]

I went to a major international bank and convinced them that everything Accenture had done for them was cr@p (well it was). We threw out all their code/architecture and started again from scratch, building something that actually worked. Nice.

They must have wasted £hundreds of thousands on Accidenture and their team of highly experienced tea boys