From Joe Pretko’s Poolside Office

Hey everybody, I hope you all are doing well out there. I’ve been with MPS for a little over seven months now, supporting the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Benefits Appeals and Memorials (BAM) portfolio as a Business Analyst. That means taking part in a bunch of business requirement building sessions, guiding the team in making sure the business requirements make sense and satisfy the business needs. I can say that the projects we’ve been working on are taking an even more important meaning during this time and I’m appreciative to be a spoke in the wheel of progress for the VA.

I guess you can say I’ve been lucky in a sense as my position has always been 100% remote, so rolling out of bed to an 18 second commute while sitting in on Skype/Teams/Webex meetings in a t-shirt and shorts is old hat for me and not much has changed professionally since the pandemic hit. What has changed is my luxuriously long hair (it’s not luxurious) and well-kempt beard (it’s not kempt). Both of which my wife adores (she doesn’t). Other than that, I enjoy my free time by lounging in the pool following a good run if possible, catching up on movies and TV shows I’ve missed, reading a book or two, and connecting with my family/friends on Zoom. All while shunning the rest of the outside world so, yep, my normal life.