Richard Sands

So how did I end up here? I am college educated, have good strong family roots, plenty of ambition and love a good challenge. My Bachelors degree in computer science along with about 20 years of coding experience allowed me to rise to the top of my field in the investment banking arena. It suffices to say, money was not an issue. Which leads me to one and only one conclusion. Greed. Pure unadulterated greed.

I have recently been released from federal custody and am in the process of getting my career back on track. I'm still in the technology arena, given the fact that its pretty much all I know how to do. I've had to make a slight adjustment in my choice of vertical markets due to the fact that working for the banking industry is no longer an option for me. Go figure. I continue to code on a daily basis and am knee deep in a couple of projects. I must admit that I'm loving every minute of it. The income is sparse, to put it mildly, which is to be expected given my background and recent change in career path. But that's the least of my worries at the moment. I am recently married and spend plenty of time with my children. I now know that quality of life is a lot more important than financial gain.

One of the most valuable and profound lessons I learned while incarcerated came from one of my counselors. He said, "Mr. Sands, don't fool yourself. Crime certainly does pay. There's no mistaking that. It just costs too damn much!!!" Truer words have never been spoken.