Transition

[AIXSPadmin]

What does anyone think of the possibilities of moving from an AIX system admin to becoming a software engineer? I have been working as an admin on AIX and SP complex for 7 years and am considering becoming a software engineer. What are the chances? Also, what about the salary considerations? Would there be a large pay cut (upper 5 figures now)? Which language? Seven years of nights, weekends and everything has taken a toll and think I need a change. I have worked with RPG, JCL, and UniVerse Basic before, as well as some C.
Thanks for any insights you all may have.

 

[ctarr]

Well AIXSPadmin, if you're burned out and want to take on the challenge then I say go for it. But, the market is tough now, and depending on where in the world you live you may (or may not) have a hard time getting equal pay as an engineer. Are there companies near your current location that need engineers with your paticular software skills? If you know C then you won't have any difficulity picking up C++, Java, C#. But, remember you will incur the time and money to learn these other languages.

From my own experience, I have left companies where I was happy with my duties. But, I was able to pick up work along the way and finally get the kind of develoment jobs that I have wanted.