RE: i5 Youngsters

They need to have gone through a programming curriculum, but learning free

format RPG is simple if you know another language.

I am in the middle of training a "youngster" (24 yrs old) programming from
the ground up starting with the RPG language. Bright kid, and was already
proficient on a PC. I have him coding in WDSC and self learning by reading
Jim Buck's "Programming in RPGIV, 4th Edition"( http://tinyurl.com/2aaj3n).
The book just came out and was a God-send to see something teaching the
latest in RPG (i.e. /free form, WDSC, new bifs, embedded SQL, etc). The
book has been great so far, though I would only recommend teaching from the
ground up if you don't have the option of them taking an RPG class. In this
case he lives 80 miles away from the nearest RPG classroom.

What am I saying in all that? If you don't have access to someone that
knows RPG, find somebody with a good outlook on life that enjoys computers
and train them in. The jury is still out as to whether this approach will
work :-)

HTH,
Aaron Bartell
http://mowyourlawn.com

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-nontech-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-nontech-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Michael Ryan
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 11:50 AM
To: Non-Technical Discussion about the AS400 / iSeries
Subject: Re: i5 Youngsters

I don't think there are as many students taking i5 curriculums
(curriculi? curriculorum?), but there are fewer schools teaching it.
And they are teaching it less because there is less demand. I think
the best technique is to find a youngster that wants to work and teach
them the trade. They need to have gone through a programming
curriculum, but learning free format RPG is simple if you know another
language.

On Jan 14, 2008 12:31 PM, Vance Stanley <w_vance_stanley@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I have a manager/supervisor that is concerned about the "greying" of his

work force and the

ability to acquire younger programmers that are willing to work in the i5

environment. I have

argued that when I came into programming in 1991 I just wanted to work and

did not care what kind

of programming I was doing. I ended up doing COBOL programming in a

mainframe environment and at

the time I thought it was good experience. Anyway, my supervisor seems to

think the new crop of

programmers are not as flexible in that regard and only want to learn

whats hot. Any thoughts

about how I can present a case to show that the system should be well

supplied with professionals

for at least the foreseeable future?

Vance

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