<![CDATA[Wiring The Iraqi Elections]]>An anonymous writer over at The Billfold reveals how he parlayed a lackluster IT resume into a gig building the IT and communications infrastructure for the Independent Electoral Commission for Iraq (IECI) in 2004. He managed to knock off $90,000 in student debt in the process:

If I had felt any unease that I was potentially exploiting a horrible situation for personal gain, it was short-lived. The next four months were the most stressful, difficult, and dangerous of my life until that point, and probably—hopefully—ever. ... On December 31, 2004, I achieved a couple of significant milestones: I made my final student loan payment, and I had a positive net worth for the first time in my adult life. Mortars, rockets, and car bombs aside, that was pretty satisfying.

]]>