Indeed, this is exactly what our company does. Our newest COBOL victim/developer (<g>) was working in a non-IT part of the company. I myself came from such a place. As have a not insignificant number of our other COBOL programmers.
>________________________________ > From: Thomas H Puddicombe <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2012 5:26 PM >Subject: Re: Brain drain: Where Cobol systems go from here > >I'm almost old enough to admit I'm old. > >I remember a time when businesses would take the brightest young >"business" minds they had, turn them over to folks like Steve (good >teachers) for 90 days, and get back ... COBOL programmers who understood >the business. Oddly enough, it was those "90-day wonders" that ground out >mass quantities of what is now called "that moldy old COBOL" code. > >Now, folks want to assert that today's "youngsters" are too stupid to turn >into COBOL programmers? Well, dang it, sonny - the same thing was said >about us back in the day - and see how that turned out. > >Tom Puddicombe >Mainframe Performance & Capacity Planning >CSC > >31 Brookdale Rd, Meriden, CT 06450 >ITIS | (860) 428-3252 | [email protected] | www.csc.com > >This is a PRIVATE message. If you are not the intended recipient, please >delete without copying and kindly advise us by e-mail of the mistake in >delivery. >NOTE: Regardless of content, this e-mail shall not operate to bind CSC to >any order or other contract unless pursuant to explicit written agreement >or government initiative expressly permitting the use of e-mail for such >purpose. > > > >From: Steve Comstock <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Date: 05/23/2012 05:55 PM >Subject: Re: Brain drain: Where Cobol systems go from here >Sent by: IBM Mainframe Discussion List <[email protected]> > > > >On 5/23/2012 3:39 PM, Roberts, John J wrote: >>> When the last Cobol programmers walk out the door, so may 50 years >> of business processes within the software they created. Will you be >> ready? >> >> >> >>> http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227263/The_Cobol_Brain_Drain? >> taxonomyId=154 >> >> Ed, Interesting article and fairly accurate IMO. >> >> This is what I can foresee happening: >> (1) Many companies will try to offshore their COBOL application support. >But >this won't work so well because it is hard enough to understand these >systems >without facing the complications of language and arcane terminology. And >the >young ones back in Bangalore will want to do Java, not COBOL. > >> (2) Other companies will want to recruit overseas, either for CS grads >that >they can train, or for those few that are willing to invest in COBOL >learning if >that is what it takes to punch that H1B ticket. But even so, once here >they are >all going to be looking to do something else, not COBOL. So that company >that >recruits and trains a COBOL resource is going to be looking for a >replacement >within a couple years. > >> (3) Efforts to train new young COBOL resources are going to flop, as the >article mentions. Again, everyone expects COBOL to be a career dead-end >once >beyond a 5 to 10 year transition period. > >Not everyone. > >> (4) In the end, US companies are going to be forced to pay a premium >just to >hang on to their old-timers long enough to buy time to implement that new >ERP >package or new custom application. The ones that will be successful doing >this >are going to be the ones that accommodate their senior developer's >desires: lots >of time off, telecommuting, job sharing, benefits, etc. >> >> John > > >Ahem. We can help. > >Our problem is reaching the right people. We have a low >visibility to training directors and above for most companies, >even after more than three decades of providing top quality >training to many mainframe organizations. Just too tech-y and not >enough sales-y, I guess. > > >So, everybody: help us and your company out: find out >who is responsibile for your z/OS applications programmer >training and pass this on... > > > >There seems to be a resurgence in attention being paid >to the mainframe, to z/OS, and to COBOL. For good reason: > >* z/OS is still the premier operating system in terms > of performance, security, and business services > >* COBOL has been modernized to work with new technologies: > > + Works with data encoded in ASCII and Unicode > > + WOrks with data stored in XML > > + Works with the web - COBOL CGIs can handle transactions > from the web, accessing data from VSAM or DB2, > then formatting output web pages (HTML) that > include the requested information > > - can even serve up audio, video, and other > multimedia files > >* COBOL is a clear, understandable language that is easy > to code, debug, and maintain > >* COBOL code performs well, with no need for the overhead > of Java, for example > > >The Trainer's Friend has a complete z/OS COBOL curriculum, that can: > >* teach new COBOL developers how to code, test, debug, > and maintain programs written in COBOL > >* teach experienced COBOL programmers new features of > the language > >* teach experienced COBOL programmers how to use COBOL > to work with facilities of z/OS such as Language > Environment, DB2, CICS, and z/OS UNIX > > >We can teach classes on your site, so the students learn >on their own environment. > >We can license materials so your instructors can teach >your students as many classes as needed for just a one >time charge. > > >Check out the COBOL curriculum at: > > http://www.trainersfriend.com/COBOL_Courses/cobolcurr.htm > > >The Trainer's Friend, Inc. is a well-respected company that >has been incorporated since 1989, longer than most of our >competition. We pride ourselves on our top quality training >materials and our dynamic instructors. > > >Visit our website; drop us a line; give us a call - ask >questions, explore. Train. > > >Thanks. > > >-- > >Kind regards, > >-Steve Comstock >The Trainer's Friend, Inc. > >303-355-2752 >http://www.trainersfriend.com > >* To get a good Return on your Investment, first make an investment! > + Training your people is an excellent investment > >* Try our tool for calculating your Return On Investment > for training dollars at > http://www.trainersfriend.com/ROI/roi.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, >send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- >For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, >send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
