Re: Iseries Education and marketing

[steema@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

>From your perspective, I wouldn't fight it, if they want to make you  a
more skilled person, why not?

>From a technical platform perspective they are wrong. For personnel they
can get the same person and have them learn RPG at the job.



> Hi Guys,
>
>   I don't think the decision makers want to dig very deep. They are going
> to look at the the
> situation from what they perceive is the correct data for a long term
> platform/erp strategy. They
> will think because they cannot walk out to a local university and recruit
> an RPG programmer that
> the system is dying.   I see this analysis as an argument to justify
> investing in a new platform.
> They will probably also reason that older workers will demand better
> salaries than their younger
> counter parts.  If you give managment an opportunity to build a case then
> the platform will get
> dumped even though there is not really a valid business need.  Maybe this
> is a symptom of lack of
> desire to generate value with existing tools? I guess utilizing existing
> tools is not as glamorous
> as shiny new shrink wrap.
>
>  Vance
>
> --- Booth Martin <booth@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> We had this discussion at the New England conference a couple of years.
>>   A comment was made about going to the back of the room at COMMON and
>> looking at the backs of the heads to see the "Graying of COMMON".
>>
>> So, we went to the back of the room in Framingham and we looked for
>> ourselves.  That was NOT what we saw.  We discussed what we saw:  The
>> number of female heads of hair, the number of really young heads of
>> hair, the number of minorities, and the obvious interest of the
>> audience.
>>
>> We concluded that going to COMMON is a perk, awarded to the senior
>> staff; the regional meetings like Framingham are cheaper so the
>> companies send their junior staff, too.
>>
>> Last night was the Dallas User Group.  I didn't count, but thinking
>> back, I'd guess half the attendees were under 35, maybe 40.  (I have
>> trouble telling ages)  But certainly the meeting was not a gathering of
>> the old folks.
>>
>>
>>
>> steema@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>> > They are totally correct about the age of experienced Iseries workers,
>> > however, the opportunity exists for a programmer, say a VB person, to
>> > learn RPG on the job.
>> >
>> > More than once, I have seen a PC programmer we were working in express
>> > interest in learning RPG.
>> >
>> >   Guys,
>> >>   I just had a conversation with my supervisor for about an hour
>> regarding
>> >> the future of the
>> >> Iseries with our company. One of the sticking points that upper
>> management
>> >> is using (to justify
>> >> phasing the platform out) is the "greying" of the Iseries workforce.
>> There
>> >> has been discussions
>> >> about this on this board but, I thought I would just throw this in as
>> just
>> >> more fodder.
>> >> Amazingly, they all agree on  what a great platform it is. They can't
>> >> complain about its cost.
>> >> But, I guess any reason is as good as another.   I really think if
>> IBM
>> >> wants to insure the
>> >> survival of this platform they will consider dropping some freebie
>> systems
>> >> off at some colleges
>> >> (give aways are great for marketing. Just ask Microsoft). They need
>> to do
>> >> more marketing to show
>> >> that they are educating a new line of developers (not just in Asia)
>> but,
>> >> here where there will be
>> >> exposure.  Otherwise, the perceptions of the MBA's of the future will
>> >> always be tainted against
>> >> the platform.
>> >>
>> >>  Anyway, just my two cents.
>> >>
>> >>  Vance
>> >>
>> >> --
>> >> This is the Midrange Systems Technical Discussion (MIDRANGE-L)
>> mailing
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>> >>
>> >
>>
>> --
>> -----------------------------------
>> Booth Martin
>> http://martinvt.com
>> -----------------------------------
>> --
>> This is the Midrange Systems Technical Discussion (MIDRANGE-L) mailing
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>>
>
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