Re: Chasing the wrong target? (was "giving an iSeries system to each college")

["J M Plank" <plank.computer@xxxxxxxxx>]

Even when the System i is available, you have to overcome the mindset of the
computer science department.  I was an adjunct for 5 years at a couple of
branches of a fairly good sized private university.  The RPG textbook was a
poor RPG III version - I finally wised up and brought in my own material and
kept the book on the desk to keep my boss happy.  The head of the department
actively discouraged students from pursuing courses related to the AS/400.
I tried to point out that all the administration for the 26 branches was
done on an AS/400 with no maintenance hassles, while the pc techs were going
crazy trying to keep networks up to speed, pcs working and extra servers
added, but to no avail.  At least I wasn't teaching the COBOL class - it
used one of the COBOL for pc compilers.  I was told they didn't need to use
the AS/400 for that class (COBOL was installed).  Most of the students I had
were either other adjuncts, or students looking to fill out their elective
computer classes.  No one was actively interested in pursuing a career in
the business world - most wanted to be computer gamers and make the big
bucks. <vbg>  The rest were finance majors and wanted to have some business
knowledge of the computer end of things (these might be our last hope!).

The sad thing is that I was hearing from local businesses (South
Bend/Elkhart/Goshen, IN area) that they needed AS/400 programmers and had
talked to the university about it, but the computer science department
didn't see the opportunity.  (And before anyone gets excited, no this wasn't
Notre Dame. <vbg>)

Mark Plank

On 1/25/07, Jon Paris <Jon.Paris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> That said it may not help.  Why?  Because enrollment in science programs
> in
> general is falling and doing so faster in Comp Sci.  So even if System i
> gets more than its fair share of mindshare (and do any of us really see
> anyone outspending MS in that arena?) - that share is of a shrinking pie.