Several hours ago, I had entered a nice email on this topic that was running
under the subject of: Re: IBM Redbook: "Introduction to the New Mainframe:
z/OS Basics" . Since I spent about 10 minutes composing it, the *&*^% web
site that I use to read IBM-Main on my laptop timed out. Usually, I can cut
and paste the reply into a new email, but somehow I didn't get it cut, so
when I tried to paste it into a new email, there was nothing there. That's
our lousy Wisconsin Roadrunner webmail site. Sometimes, I think it times
out in 5 minutes, and other times I swear it takes over a half hour. This
email is from my desktop, using the usually reliable Outlook Express. I'll
try to remember what I said before.
I have a friend who is the Dean of the IT program at the Waukesha Community
Technical College (WCTC). He also used to be the president of the WASM
(Wisconsin Association of Systems Management), a Naspa group. He has pretty
much the same thing to say about new programs, such as the mainframe
training that IBM is trying to get more colleges to offer. He says there
has to be a market for it. Unfortunately, in the greater Milwaukee area,
that market is diminishing more each year. Obviously, as I have told you in
the past, the MVS mainframe is no longer in P&H Mining Equipment, where I
used to work. I know of 2 more mainframes going away in the area, one in
September, and one I think in about a year, although it may be 2 years.
(CRS).
I estimate 10 to 12 mainframe data centers in the Milwaukee area at this
time. When I started at P&H, I think there was more like 30 to 40. I know
I had at least 10 interviews at companies in the area before I got my job at
P&H. Now, there is only one job that I have heard of in the area for the
last year and a half for a sysprog. Unfortunately I didn't get it.
I go to a group at our church that meets monthly to encourage and help
people who are out of work, or underemployed. The leader of the group, who
has worked in personal in the area most of his life, made the comment that
southeast Wisconsin is the graveyard of IBM mainframes. It was really
interesting, because at that meeting, a friend of mine who I used to work
with about 25 years ago who was also a sysprog, gave his testimony of how he
was out of work for over a year, and then finally got back into work in
mainframe computers. I think he now is an application programmer, but I
don't know for sure. I do know that now he has to drive 50 or 60 miles one
way to northern Illinois every day.
By the way, I have a good lead on a job in Milwaukee, but as a Data Center
Technical Analyst, not a sysprog. I would rather stay in Milwaukee doing
that than make more money elsewhere as a sysprog.
Someone made the comment recently that they thought there were more postings
on job boards for sysprogs. I have noticed that also, since I apply for
most of the jobs that I qualify for. I especially noticed more and more
jobs being offered by headhunters on the job boards. I don't think there
was a lot of IT placement by headhunters in our profession for a while. I
talked to one recruiter who still is in business in Milwaukee, but they do
none of the previous placement where they get 30% or so of the persons first
year of salary. Now he does things like screening resumes for companies
when their personel department is too busy.
I think this email was a lot longer than my original, but then I didn't have
to worry about my webmail site timing out.
Eric Bielefeld
Sr. z/OS Systems Programmer
Milwaukee Wisconsin
414-475-7434
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