cobol dead? 4

[jimlee]

Hi all,

i'm just looking for some clue as to the marketability of new and inexperienced cobol programmers.

I seem to be hearing that cobol is now being surpassed by newer languages and hence is becoming outdated, but also that it also makes up something like 85% of the worlds code for business applications.

I am nearing the end of my course now and am a bit worried that it may be hard to find a job in this field.

Can anyone shed some light on the situation?

thanks v.much.

 

[slade]

Hi Jimlee,

From what I've seen during my job searches (I'm a consultant, so I do it more often than most) a combination of mainframe tools (COBOL/CICS/DB2) and web tools (Java, html, xml), and server tools (windows/lotus notes), and some of the IBM web enabling tools (MQSeries, CWS, Websphere) will put you into an ideal position to function in this new environment. That doesn't mean you won't find a job in any one of these disciplines, just means your chances are better.

They've been foretelling the demise of COBOL since the advent of PL1, and its still standing. There's an awful lot of cobol code out there that represents a sizeable investment, so I think the direction of the industry is moving toward hybrid systems: Front ends that use the web and pass a transaction to the mainframe for business rules processing, then back again to the web for presentation. For batch number crunching, to date there's nothing like the mainframe. This gives them the advantages of the new technology while leveraging their investment in the old.

This is the first post I've seen here that touched on the "religious, mystical beliefs" of DP, so hold on to your hat, you may a started a "religious war".

Hope this helps, Jack.

 

[RonaldB]

As Jack pointed out so correctly, there is a vast amount of Cobol applications out there that needs maintenance, correction and rework. Sure, you can find a host of zippy languages or tools or development environments for just about any field in ICT, but Cobol is here to stay for quite so time to come !
Since all the newbies want to lay their hands on one of those forementioned sexy things, a good, experienced Cobol programmer will become more and more important, because less and less people still know the trade. If you're new at it: start learning it now, so you'll be one of those experienced guys in a couple of years !

Of course it's a good idea to add some other stuff to the mix; i'm not stupid either. Jack's frontend - backend scenario is indeed finding its way into more and more business environments. Getting active on both sides gives you more to choose from.

Good luck !

 

[GC1CEO]

Cobol is dead in the sense that its a language that you won't see new applications, games, etc programmed in COBOL.. However with larger companies, their entire systems are usually coded in COBOL and have had them in that language for decades and its way too expensive to upgrade to another language (plus COBOL as a language is pretty stable)..

I know people who have had COBOL programming jobs lined up while they were still finishing up college for after they graduated with starting salaries of 40,000+.

And the last job fair I attended, companies were in serious need of COBOL programmers.. would have been offered a job right there if I had the course I'm in now completed then..

Chris Green
Computer Information Systems Student
Cayuga Community College -- Fulton

 

[turnipman]

I am also a COBOL contractor, I've had my present contract for 4 1/2 years and it is COBOL. There are other technologies here (SAP), and much of the COBOL will be replaced eventually, but right now I am not in any fear of losing my job.

For COBOL jobs look on

http://www.dice.com.

If you just search for keyword COBOL you'll find 2,000-3,000 jobs. And this is one site. COBOL is not dead. Since COBOL is Business Oriented I don't think you would want to write games in it anyway.

Most jobs I've seen and heard of in COBOL these days do relate to maintaining systems rather than writing new systems.

A combination of COBOL with the new skillsets should give you a leg-up on the competition.

 

[jimlee]

cheers all,

well that's certainly what i wanted to hear, and suspected all along, i'm working from home you see and haven't got the advantage of tutors!

visual basic is next on my course list, then i'll think about cics/db2 as i've seen them on many job sites, already know a bit of html it's just finding the time to do them all. oh the stress of it all!!

anyway ta v. much jimlee, who is just to take exams, wish me luck!!!

 

[Thane]

Every day I write brand spanking new COBOL programs. There *IS* new development going in using COBOL. However, you may find this fact "hidden" from you. Many companies that use COBOL in their products do NOT market or reveal this fact to their end users and customers. COBOL has been modernized by the different compiler vendors and by the use of third party tools. Presently I am working on COBOL applications that are basically COM componants. The users of these componants will have no idea (and should not care) that they are interfacing with a COBOL application.

 

[RonaldB]

Exactly !

At my site (a large bank) i'm currently writing a - new ! - module to allow an internet banking application to retrieve account information out of our -legacy - financial system. That one's all COBOL, and will stay so for quite a while yet. There's just no way any java program can muster up to 8 million mutations a day ...