5 ms·

They aren't asking for so much. They want: 1. understanding the language (COBOL) 2. IBM mainframe experience (JCL, DB2, VSAM, SDLC) 3. credentialed (4-year d

by burfog 7y ago

They aren't asking for so much. They want: 1. understanding the language (COBOL) 2. IBM mainframe experience (JCL, DB2, VSAM, SDLC) 3. credentialed (4-year degree) Note that SDLC is a layer 2 network protocol in the SNA stack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_Data_Link_Control https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronous_Data_Link_Control

godzillabrennus 7y ago
3.) is what gets me... Why do you need to pay a college to get a piece of paper to enable someone to pay you for skills you otherwise posses?
- kchr 7y ago
  I am not saying I agree with this system, but am assuming one of the reasons is that the hiring company see the credentials as a way to not gamble on whether you "are familiar" with a subject or actually has deep knowledge of core concepts taught along a planned syllabus.
- burfog 7y ago
  You say you have skills. Everybody says that. Prove it. Assume the interviewer doesn't have time for a multi-day interview in which your skills are tested. Maybe the employer lost the last person with equivalent skills, so a non-technical interviewer is trying to find a replacement person.
  - invalidOrTaken 7y ago
    >You say you have skills. Everybody says that. Prove it. I feel like this is a game of chicken that FAANG can win, but NJ Unemployment Office (or whatever) cannot. The shortage isn't really cash. You could hire some bright high school students for cheap, and, given enough time, and half-supervision by an experienced dev (who doesn't even know COBOL), they could fix whatever bugs are ailing the system. You could hire a couple (again, COBOL-ignorant!) web devs at or above market rate, and they could also deliver a working system. It would take time, but they could do it. The actual shortage is management. They don't have anyone who'd be confident fixing things if said high school students screwed up. They don't have backups, or don't know how they work. It's unlikely they know what actually needs to be done. So what they actually need is a tech lead. But they think they just need "programmers," so they advertise for programmers (with inflated requirements, because they need them to actually be a lead) and the pay is commensurate for "programmers," rather than what they actually need.
ratboy666 7y ago
It makes no sense to me... JCL, DB2, VSAM -- ok. SDLC? If it referred to SNA, it should be SNA/SDLC. Not referencing that (or VTAM) means Software Development Life Cycle.

by burfog 7y ago

godzillabrennus 7y ago

3.) is what gets me... Why do you need to pay a college to get a piece of paper to enable someone to pay you for skills you otherwise posses?

kchr 7y ago
I am not saying I agree with this system, but am assuming one of the reasons is that the hiring company see the credentials as a way to not gamble on whether you "are familiar" with a subject or actually has deep knowledge of core concepts taught along a planned syllabus.
burfog 7y ago
You say you have skills. Everybody says that. Prove it. Assume the interviewer doesn't have time for a multi-day interview in which your skills are tested. Maybe the employer lost the last person with equivalent skills, so a non-technical interviewer is trying to find a replacement person.
- invalidOrTaken 7y ago
  >You say you have skills. Everybody says that. Prove it. I feel like this is a game of chicken that FAANG can win, but NJ Unemployment Office (or whatever) cannot. The shortage isn't really cash. You could hire some bright high school students for cheap, and, given enough time, and half-supervision by an experienced dev (who doesn't even know COBOL), they could fix whatever bugs are ailing the system. You could hire a couple (again, COBOL-ignorant!) web devs at or above market rate, and they could also deliver a working system. It would take time, but they could do it. The actual shortage is management. They don't have anyone who'd be confident fixing things if said high school students screwed up. They don't have backups, or don't know how they work. It's unlikely they know what actually needs to be done. So what they actually need is a tech lead. But they think they just need "programmers," so they advertise for programmers (with inflated requirements, because they need them to actually be a lead) and the pay is commensurate for "programmers," rather than what they actually need.

ratboy666 7y ago

It makes no sense to me... JCL, DB2, VSAM -- ok. SDLC? If it referred to SNA, it should be SNA/SDLC. Not referencing that (or VTAM) means Software Development Life Cycle.