Juan Carlos Perez is applying to the Master of Science in Technology Project Management program at the University of Houston to further explore best practices in project management and software engineering. He has 5 years of experience in software development and wants to focus on consulting, designing, planning, and developing high-level software applications. Perez has a strong technical background in Java technologies and project management experience from previous roles. He believes his qualifications and enthusiasm for learning will help him succeed in the program.

1. Letter of Intent of Juan Carlos Perez
I am applying to the Master of Science in Technology Project Management
at the University of Houston in order to more deeply explorer the best practices of
project management skills and methods used in software engineering. Having performed
and worked in the software development industry for almost 5 years, I would like to learn
profoundly the principles and tools to design, analyze, develop, deploy, plan and manage
technology projects. In reality, I would like to focus my career on consulting, designing,
planning and developing high-level software applications by using the best practices of
project management and software engineering. I’m also interested in learning the best
strategies and frameworks that are used to quickly and efficiently build and maintain
technology projects.
Through my professional experience, I have developed a strong background in
diverse Java Web technologies such as J2EE, JSPs, Struts, and Servlets, as well as Java
stand-alone applications such as ANT, Maven, Swing, JDBC, Jasper Report, Lucene
among others. Basically, my work experience has consisted of integrating such Java
technologies in order to create highly qualified Java Web applications. Currently, my
interests are in developing Java Web applications related to J2EE technologies such
Google Web Toolkit, which is an AJAX framework used to build web-based application,
and framework that I used to develop a Web User Interface for ADempiere ERP Business
Suite, considered by many one of the most useful open source software systems around
the world. In addition, as a part of my work experience, I have worked on software
engineering process, which includes design, development, testing and maintenance of
software applications. Furthermore, I have been involved in scoping and planning process
that I have used for estimating time and planning resources for previous projects. In
addition, I have a great deal of experience in JIRA System, which is a bug tracking
software that is used to assign, track, report and audit the software development process.
I started my professional career with a National Bank in Venezuela as a System
Analyst and System Administrator for about 1 year. Working for this National Bank
(Banfoandes, C.A.), I performed several tasks related to installation, configuration, and
administration of the Internet access platform by using Microsoft ISA server 2004. I also
developed and deployed Intranet portal applications by using Lotus Notes & Domino 6.x
and 7.x as well as administrated and supported the Instant Messaging and Electronic Mail
servers on iSeries, Linux, and Window platforms. This employment position helped me
to realize what I really want, which is to be working entirely on software development
industry and project management. Then, I worked for P&C Consultants C.A. / Avviato
Inc. as a software developer for 2 and a half years. In P&C Consultants C.A. / Avvito
Inc., I had the opportunity to work with an 8-developer team by following the Extreme
Programming methodology—known as XP—which is used by many team leads in the
Software development process. Working for P&C Consultants C.A. / Avviato Inc. as a
software developer, I started to build both soft and hard skills, helping me to define
strengths and weaknesses in my personal and professional career.

2. During my undergraduate studies in Computer Science Engineering (2000-2005)
at the University of Tachira, Venezuela, I took several courses related to Object-Oriented
programming as well as courses related to Information Technology such as Database
Management and Design, and System Administration. During that time, I worked on
plenty of projects where I had to use this knowledge in order to design and implement
administrative systems. My most arduous project at the University of Tachira was to
create a Medical/Dental System that is currently being used for more than 2000 students.
This system allowed me to participate in several congresses in different universities
around Venezuela. Additionally, I worked in the computer science lab as a system
administrator and a teaching assistant while I was taking my undergraduate classes at this
University, where I gave technological support and taught programming language
subjects to students.
I truly believe my professional background will allow me to contribute to any
research or assistance in the college of technology at the University of Houston. During
my previous work I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about software technologies,
especially on Web-based applications. On the top of that, I have had the opportunity to
work on some administrative tasks that include deployment in Oracle Application Server,
Tomcat, and JBoss, and preparing and tuning J2EE application on different servers. Plus,
I have worked on different multiple platforms such as Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X;
and different programming environments like Eclise, JBuilder, and JDeveloper. I would
love the opportunity to apply and practice my technical and personal skills and build on
these skills with the knowledge I will learn in this master’s program.
I am convinced of my ability to succeed in the Master of Science in Technology
Project Management at the University of Houston. I believe I have the qualities to be
either a good research assistant or teaching assistant. I have been diligent and perseverant
during my professional career, and I have a huge aptitude and an enthusiastic desire to
learn all I can. I hope that my background and qualifications are found suitable for a
Master of Science in Technology Project Management at the University of Houston.
Sincerely,
Juan Carlos Perez