Published:
May 26 2011, 11:23 AM
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by
Nakesha Newbury
There have been a lot of discussions, articles, and presentations around the rising ages of our current mainframe experts, the absence of mainframe based curriculums in our colleges and universities, and the lack of prepared, upcoming professionals with enough skills and hands on experience to take over the responsibility of managing and maintaining these complex systems. Repeatedly I hear the question - how do we replace over 30 years of knowledge and decades of growing technology?
From the perspective of a new mainframer, who in comparison to my fellow teammates, is still in the early stages of career development, I can't help but share those concerns. However, I also have to take these questions even further. When the time comes and the existing mainframe gurus are no longer working in the data centers, or occupying the roles of lead architect, managers, or IT analysts, and my treasured mentors are no longer sitting in the cubes directly next to me, will my generation of new mainframe professionals be ready? And exactly how much time do we have.... (The majority of experienced mainframe staff at my office is above 50 years in age).
Maybe if we cross our fingers, nothing will break, need fixing, or crash! There is a lot of knowledge to capture and having the right tools and mechanisms in place will be imperative towards creating the next phases of mainframe intelligence, both at the physical or hardware level and at the intellectual, user level.
However, there are reasons to remain optimistic. A burden and responsibility also rests on the newcomers themselves to learn or absorb as much as they can. Since the beginning of my professional career, I have been in "sponge-mode". After all, is it not in our own best interest to do so? For many of us newbies, it was precisely these issues that made us choose mainframe careers in the first place. And the fact that there is always so much to be taught, and so much still yet to be discovered, just adds to the challenge!
But how do you know - what you don't know, so that you ask the right questions, or learn all the right material?
One of the best techniques I've found is to stay open, involved, and most importantly, eager! Reflecting back, I have learned and grown substantially since the day I was first introduced to "Mr. Mainframe". When I initially shook hands with this vast iron instructor, took my seat in front of his black screen chalkboard, and he spoke about VSAM files, batch processing, and JCL, I felt as though I was a student in a foreign language lesson. Yet with each upcoming year, I've grown more independent and have gained new skills that have enabled me to work faster and solve more complex problems than I was able to handle or fully understand before. Mr. Mainframe and I can now sit down to a cup of coffee, discuss the latest trends to hit the IT market, and as I enlighten him on how my latest assembler program will simplify our batch admin change control process, he can inform me that he's now interested in graphical interfaces and what I can offer him through the cloud.
Okay, so I don't really talk to machines. I did however join a chatting session recently at CA's May Mainframe Madness (MMM) 2011. If you haven't tried MMM, let me mention that it's a great way to meet new people, share ideas, and to learn and view material from a mix of mainframe product solutions and teams that you may not otherwise get exposure to.
Last year, I assisted as a booth rep for the New Mainframers booth in the MMM Exhibit Hall. I had the opportunity to talk with a few other newbies, like myself, to get their ideas and perspectives. I also had discussions with long-time mainframers who expressed how they were concerned about the forthcoming generations, and what companies were doing to remedy the predicted skills shortage problems. This year, I'm monitoring the booths for my product team and the Mainframe Community booth. The Community booth offers some useful documents and links to a variety of mainframe related resources.
During one of the scheduled chat sessions, the discussion focus, which involved CEOs, analysts, and many long-term mainframe users, drifted from the costs of workload virtualization towards skills shortage concerns. Some of CA Technologies' initiatives, such as CA Mainframe Software Manager and CA Mainframe Chorus were brought into the conversation as well, as potential solutions and tools to help prepare the next generation and reduce these risks. These products were designed with the intent of "simplifying management, boosting productivity, and offering a shorter ramp-up to new staff".
With so many changes occurring, and new technologies and processes still left to be uncovered, new mainframers can feel assured that an exciting and interesting career will be left in front of them. In the next few years, Mr. Mainframe and I might be interacting together through an entirely new interface, and hopefully it will be me as the new instructor, or at least to assist in those new developments. Who wouldn't want to be involved or play a part in creating a new wave of management style and change? So as we look to entice future generations to join the mainframe community, let us bring attention to the fact that, like all IT, the mainframe is evolving and there is much excitement and opportunity to be found!
