Re: About prospects of AS/400 !!!!!

["Micfhael J. Pavlak" <gmpavlak@xxxxxxxxx>]

Pavan Krishnamurthy wrote:
> 
> Hi,
>         I am a software professional working with an esteemed company. 
>Recently
> during a discussion there was a point brought out that there is not much in
> store for AS/400 professionals in the future years to come and the trend
> now is migrating applications from AS/400 to S/390 and RS/6000.
>         This kind of an information has made me apprehensive of continuing in
> AS/400. I would really appreciate the help if some of you out there could
> share their views on this and also tell me as what are the more recent
> developments that are scheduled to take place on the AS/400 and where I can
> get to know about the same thru the net.....
> 
> Regards,
> Pavan Krishnamurthy.
> 
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All I know is, As long as Bill Gates and crew are willing to throw up
that "Blue Screen of Death", AS/400 programmers will have work.  

It has been my experience that some companies are experiencing
frustration at not locating enough AS/400 talent.  This forces a good
business man to look into alternatives.  Sometimes these alternatives
are only available on a Windows NT or Unix environment.  Remember, it is
the business need that should drive the focus of technology in the
organization.  I can only guess that similar issues as those you have
noted are driving more and more AS/400 talent from RPG & COBOL.  The
fact of the matter is that IT is a forever changing animal, and I
beleive you are better off learning to run with the beast than you are
trying to tame it!

Don't abandon the AS/400 as a development platform!  Expand your scope
to include some PC, Java, (God forbid, even Windows NT)!  There is just
as much of a shortage of SAP and Windows programmers as there are AS/400
programmers right now.  Our classes at Moraine Valley for AS/400
education are FULL!(7 classes x 25 students, not bad for a community
college!)  Yet there are factions within the faculty that would
eliminate the AS/400 curriculum completely. We, as instructors at the
community college,  need to remind ourselves that our primary goal is
the provide resources to the community.  There is still demand out there
for AS/400 talent.  I firmly believe that if Rochester & Toronto keep up
the good work, there will always be a demand for AS/400 talent.  Just as
long as we all understand that the demand may evolve from RPV/400 to
RPG/ILE or JAVA.  People recognize the fact that the AS/400 is not dead,
or dying.  I always indicate that it's evolving. We as IT professionals
should be willing to evolve too.  

Mike Pavlak

I hope this helps...
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