I started my working life as a Mechanical Design Draughtsman and worked in this field for 8 years. During the later years of my career as a draughtsman I started to use computers more and more for managing the information in the drawing office and for analysing data. As I began to ask more and more of myself and the spreadsheets and databases I was writing I began to delve into the world of VBA. On this road there was one person who always helped and encouraged me. I believe it is to him that owe my good foundations in database and software design, and coding practice.

He now runs his own consulting company which is very successful and I hope continues to grow and I am proud to be affiliated with his company Optic Designs. We are still good friends and now teach each other new techniques we learn. There is a rare quality which all people who achieve excellence in their profesion or hobby share, pride and in their work and the desire to do better and these are qualities you will find in Derek and his company Optic Designs.