4 ms·

Not that salary alone should stop you, but if you look on glassdoor for the range of salaries of COBOL devs vs react or Go, the median is lower and the ceiling

Not that salary alone should stop you, but if you look on glassdoor for the range of salaries of COBOL devs vs react or Go, the median is lower and the ceiling is also lower. If you just want to have fun with older tech that's totally fair.

commandlinefan 4y ago
Yeah, I don't think they're "paid accordingly" - if you're looking for money, just learn Java, it's easier to find resources on and it pays WAY better.
- mettamage 4y ago
  Do you have some good resources? I have some industry experience with Java, but not enough.
- ElectricalUnion 4y ago
  > just learn java Java pays well because handling legacy Java is awful, full of foot guns and a pain to maintain. Possibly more that COBOL.
the_only_law 4y ago
My understanding has been, if you're highly experienced, you can make some serious money as a consultant, without that you can also get stuck as a code-monkey at crap salaries.
- nickelpro 4y ago
  You can say this about almost any technology. You can say this about a sufficiently skilled plumber.
  - gunapologist99 4y ago
    Also a willingness to consult (be a contractor) and/or relocate to where the best jobs are. Not everything is Zoom-able. Programming, in theory, can be done anywhere, but in practice that's not true, especially for old-school jobs where skillfully interacting in the (technical, people, etc) environment can be more than 50% of the actual job. In the U.S., sometimes those jobs are in silicon valley or New York, but sometimes it's Omaha or Charlotte. If you are mobile or even slightly mobile, make a list of places you are willing to relocate to and then pursue those roles. If you're willing to travel internationally, even better. Most of the limiting factors that make you say "oh, I'd never want to live there" can be assuaged by saying, ".. unless I was making enough money and it wasn't going to be forever." The combination of willingness to travel and experience/skills in something really esoteric is a rare-enough combination that you'll always have a good job, even in a recession, and often you'll have your choice of excellent jobs. Like your point, this definitely applies for plumbers, too; it's really hard to do highly paid plumbing gigs in Tokyo or NYC over Zoom. Remember, unlike most startups, with consulting or jobs, you only have to sell one product: you. So, how unusual the need is doesn't matter. There might be only one job in the world for that. What matters is that you are one of the very few people who can fill that need. When it comes to consulting, niche thyself.
    - ghaff 4y ago
      >The combination of willingness to travel and experience/skills in something really esoteric Maybe. I've known people like you describe who were legitimate experts in various aspects of some legacy system or another. And they probably had a pretty good gig--until they didn't. Mainframes probably have more staying power (and are still being developed) but I'm not sure that starting out I would be deliberately optimizing for something like this.
  - the_only_law 4y ago
    Funny you use that analogy, people seem to similarly beleive plumbing is a fast track to big money.
roflyear 4y ago
Selection bias.

commandlinefan 4y ago

Yeah, I don't think they're "paid accordingly" - if you're looking for money, just learn Java, it's easier to find resources on and it pays WAY better.

mettamage 4y ago
Do you have some good resources? I have some industry experience with Java, but not enough.
ElectricalUnion 4y ago
> just learn java Java pays well because handling legacy Java is awful, full of foot guns and a pain to maintain. Possibly more that COBOL.

the_only_law 4y ago

My understanding has been, if you're highly experienced, you can make some serious money as a consultant, without that you can also get stuck as a code-monkey at crap salaries.

nickelpro 4y ago
You can say this about almost any technology. You can say this about a sufficiently skilled plumber.
- gunapologist99 4y ago
  Also a willingness to consult (be a contractor) and/or relocate to where the best jobs are. Not everything is Zoom-able. Programming, in theory, can be done anywhere, but in practice that's not true, especially for old-school jobs where skillfully interacting in the (technical, people, etc) environment can be more than 50% of the actual job. In the U.S., sometimes those jobs are in silicon valley or New York, but sometimes it's Omaha or Charlotte. If you are mobile or even slightly mobile, make a list of places you are willing to relocate to and then pursue those roles. If you're willing to travel internationally, even better. Most of the limiting factors that make you say "oh, I'd never want to live there" can be assuaged by saying, ".. unless I was making enough money and it wasn't going to be forever." The combination of willingness to travel and experience/skills in something really esoteric is a rare-enough combination that you'll always have a good job, even in a recession, and often you'll have your choice of excellent jobs. Like your point, this definitely applies for plumbers, too; it's really hard to do highly paid plumbing gigs in Tokyo or NYC over Zoom. Remember, unlike most startups, with consulting or jobs, you only have to sell one product: you. So, how unusual the need is doesn't matter. There might be only one job in the world for that. What matters is that you are one of the very few people who can fill that need. When it comes to consulting, niche thyself.
  - ghaff 4y ago
    >The combination of willingness to travel and experience/skills in something really esoteric Maybe. I've known people like you describe who were legitimate experts in various aspects of some legacy system or another. And they probably had a pretty good gig--until they didn't. Mainframes probably have more staying power (and are still being developed) but I'm not sure that starting out I would be deliberately optimizing for something like this.
- the_only_law 4y ago
  Funny you use that analogy, people seem to similarly beleive plumbing is a fast track to big money.

roflyear 4y ago

Selection bias.