Another One Bites The Dust

[Retro Red]

Why would you necessarily think your career in IT is over?

Because I'm a dinosaur. My skill set is all mainframe related - COBOL, PL/I, IMS DB/DC, DB2, JCL & a bunch of other acronyms - & the only folks who use mainframe computers are big companies, which are all cutting their workforce or off-shoring. Based on what IT jobs I've seen available, I would need some major retraining & at 53, I'm not sure that'd be worth the time & effort to then compete against college grads or those who live in a country with a much lower cost of living.

Besides, I've spent 20 years developing my DJing into a nice part-time business. With absolutely no promotion on my part, I do about 30-35 gigs a year from repeat customers, referrals from satisfied customers, or folks who've attend my gigs. And it's something I really enjoy doing. Add to that the fact that we can live on my wife's income & medical benefits while I crank up the DJing into a full-time business & my course of action seems fairly obvious.

.

[BroosterB1]

Because I'm a dinosaur. My skill set is all mainframe related - COBOL, PL/I, IMS DB/DC, DB2, JCL & a bunch of other acronyms - & the only folks who use mainframe computers are big companies, which are all cutting their workforce or off-shoring. Based on what IT jobs I've seen available, I would need some major retraining & at 53, I'm not sure that'd be worth the time & effort to then compete against college grads or those who live in a country with a much lower cost of living.

Besides, I've spent 20 years developing my DJing into a nice part-time business. With absolutely no promotion on my part, I do about 30-35 gigs a year from repeat customers, referrals from satisfied customers, or folks who've attend my gigs. And it's something I really enjoy doing. Add to that the fact that we can live on my wife's income & medical benefits while I crank up the DJing into a full-time business & my course of action seems fairly obvious.

.

Red, Follow your bliss. You will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Not that it will be easy, or that you will not wake up at three in the morning wondering what the heck your doing, but you can and will handle that; the point is you have an escape plan.

Spend some (not a lot) on getting your name out. Right now is bridal season, check out the bridal fairs, the bridal guides. Look in Craigs list, internet, et al, for planners, offer to work with them, use your church and offer discounts to members for DJ'ing their weddings.

Before you know it, you'll wonder how you ever found time to work the IT Job. You do the math, if you can double your gigs, net $500 a gig you've got a nice addition to the wife's income.

Another thing you'll find is that people who know computers are avaluable resource, regardless of if you know Cobal, Fortan, C, C+.

See it, Believe it, Achieve it. Make it so.

[Splash_4]

Because I'm a dinosaur. My skill set is all mainframe related - COBOL, PL/I, IMS DB/DC, DB2, JCL & a bunch of other acronyms - & the only folks who use mainframe computers are big companies, which are all cutting their workforce or off-shoring. Based on what IT jobs I've seen available, I would need some major retraining & at 53, I'm not sure that'd be worth the time & effort to then compete against college grads or those who live in a country with a much lower cost of living.

Besides, I've spent 20 years developing my DJing into a nice part-time business. With absolutely no promotion on my part, I do about 30-35 gigs a year from repeat customers, referrals from satisfied customers, or folks who've attend my gigs. And it's something I really enjoy doing. Add to that the fact that we can live on my wife's income & medical benefits while I crank up the DJing into a full-time business & my course of action seems fairly obvious.

.

Man do I resemble that... and I feel like a dinosaur. Best of luck sir, and let's hope that there is still work for us when it is all said and done.

[Downix]

Man do I resemble that... and I feel like a dinosaur. Best of luck sir, and let's hope that there is still work for us when it is all said and done.

The world is moving back to the mainframe, with IBM and Sun introducing the "Miniframe" concept, a hybred Mainframe/Blade design. Dell and Microsoft are both pushing further in that direction, with Cloud computing, Netbooks, all becoming more and more dependent on Mainframe technology, now attached to the greater internet. The companies which canned their big iron are almost all eradicated, absorbed, or dying, and those that can embrace are poised to take over the next decade.

The King is Dead, all hail the King!