IBM Mainframe Forum

Hi to everyone,
I'm glad to be here, in a forum specialised in mainframe subjects.

I am looking for a career guidance because I'm worry about how I am going to be front of the market, how competitor I am and I am sure you guys have something worth to tell me, advise me.

Im neophyte and beginner at mainframe technologies.

However, I have been SME and architect for middleware such as websphere, tibco and Oracle and others competitors products to application servers, as well system operationals and network like Cisco, furukawa and competitors.

Although I'm experienced in a midrange environment and my first job was system operator for mainframe automation, I wonder if you guys could give me a tip: what would worth to study according what I have been working and living?


I would like to say that I have and I am very enthusiastic with security in all aspects.

Hopefully hear you guys who have more experience. I rather to be here asking for help than asking help in my office environment too.

Thank you very much in advanced, fucim

I would like to say that I am engaged in a project which I am responsible for Websphere configuration in running in z/OS, with job automations.
But, I want to study more than Websphere. I want to get to know what is the promissory area that I can use my background to work and invest on it.
Thank you in advanced!

Topic moved to career guidance - seemed a good idea considering the topic title - which I have not changed!

It depends on what your ultimate goal is. A "vanilla" mainframe software developer would have a solid background in COBOL, JCL and/or CICS, and DB2. A tool developer such as myself needs to be knowledgeable in Rexx, at least one HLL, JCL, TSO/ISPF, and at least one DBMS, plus perhaps an on-line transaction system (CICS, IMS DC, etc.) and a few utilities (DFSORT, IDCAMS, File Manager or equivalent). A system programmer must know HLASM, the particular package(s) for which he responsible, and such exotica as SMP/E. Other roles may require different skill sets; the care and feeding of mainframes is a broad and deep subject, and it has been decades since any one person could hope to master more than a small fraction of it.