| March 2006 |
| COBOL Skills Demand Strong |
| By Linda Dailey Paulson |
More stunning than “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” tales of the weird is the truth: IT departments need to hire and retain people who know COBOL to support their legacy applications. Although the death knell for both the mainframe and COBOL have been prematurely sounded time and again, experts say firms still use the programming language for business critical applications. Among the Fortune 1000 companies, there are an estimated 1,500-to-2,500 applications at any given firm written in COBOL, which indicates knowledge of this programming language could be a key differentiator that brings your resume to the top of the stack. Tom Ross, a senior software engineer in COBOL development at IBM, says “Of the large corporations in the world 95 percent of them are doing their number crunching with COBOL. Billing, credit cards, insurance – it’s not going to go away.” Reality is that senior IT professionals with significant COBOL skills and experience are nearing retirement and seasoned professionals are needed to maintain the status quo for COBOL applications. This shortage is expected to peak between 2020 and 2030, according to Forrester Research, but that skews based on factors such as early retirement. Other sources give 2010 as a likely tipping point. IT hiring managers have told Bill Weathersby, technology practice leader for EquaTerra, a sourcing advisory firm, they need people who know COBOL now. One client -- a name-brand products manufacturer -- was bemoaning the lack of skilled COBOL applicants. COBOL is used in an inventory replenishing system for their largest retail client to ensure that product is shipped to megastore shelves across the U.S. The person who wrote and maintains that application is expected to retire soon. That company would give anything to find a qualified COBOL programmer, according to Weathersby. Compounding the problem -- colleges and universities aren’t teaching COBOL or mainframe skills as they once did. Demand for structured programming languages continues to decline, says Ronald J. Kizior, assistant professor, Loyola University Chicago, School of Business Administration. In his most recent survey of the COBOL landscape, the biggest decreases were in COBOL and PASCAL, while the biggest increase in instruction has been seen in Java. Ross notes many schools find it easier to teach computer classes when a mere laptop is required. Thus, mainframe-based programs have suffered. There are exceptions, such as Northern Illinois University, which offers a thorough mainframe curriculum. Rich Egan, a lecturer in computer and information science at New Jersey Institute of Technology, says COBOL is taught in a required course in file access methods. Between 60 and 80 students complete this class each year. Students have been hired by companies including United Postal Service, AT&T and large insurance providers because they know some COBOL. The jobs have included positions on development teams as well as data processing. Experts say job-seekers with COBOL experience often defect to jobs demanding programming skills such as C++ or Java. Yet Ross says many return to the COBOL fold for its longevity and job stability. With the advent of the web, “a huge majority of the backend applications people want to get access to are written in COBOL.” COBOL skills are needed to implement service-oriented architecture platforms and work with XML to provide interoperable applications for new front-end architectures. Egan says it’s easy for someone with only rudimentary COBOL experience to be hired. “The competition is real small,” he says. The most likely employers to need skills and experience in COBOL are Fortune 1000 firms, banks, and insurance companies. This also includes companies with billing-intensive operations such as credit card companies. In spite of the looming shortage of skilled COBOL programmers, qualified programmers in certain areas have a hard time finding suitable employment. So, where are the jobs? Look outside major metropolitan areas. There are regional pockets for hiring such as Chattanooga, Tennessee, or Florida. Many large New York employers have relocated operations to suburban cities such as Westchester and Parsippany. Although most programmers with significant experience can expect to write their own ticket with employers, Kizior says salaries range tremendously, often based on cost of living differences. Thus, the same job in New England may pay more than in the Southeast. Employers want solid skill sets that include mainframe basics such as Job Control Language (JCL), Time Sharing Option (TSO) and related applications. Experience in business analysis should also be stressed, say experts. For jobs working in integration such as with Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), XML experience should be stressed. Specific sectors may require knowledge of legal and privacy compliance issues. Because many jobs involve working in teams, soft skills such as project management should also be highlighted on your resume. “If you have good COBOL skills and are willing to work in COBOL, state that on your resume,” says Weathersby. He says serious applicants should send their resume straight to the CIO -- “I guarantee … they will get a call.” HOW TO GET A JOB IN COBOL IN A NUTSHELL
Carefully evaluate whether a career in COBOL is for you before making the leap and/or investing in additional education. IBM’s Tom Ross says working in COBOL is “a different kind of a thing” that requires logical thinking for tasks such as coding federal tax rules. He says it’s not for everyone. Those who enjoy working in COBOL, says Ross, find they are happy and secure in their jobs. Use online job boards to find out who’s hiring in your area and what skills those jobs entail. If you are in an IT environment where COBOL is used, find someone who willing to answer your questions or act as a mentor. Do some additional reading or take a class that uses COBOL or stresses mainframe concepts. Ronald Kizior, assistant professor, Loyola University Chicago, says if you don’t want to relocate, survey your area to see if there is indeed a need for COBOL programmers as this varies by region. You can either wait for the dinosaurs atop the food chain to retire or look for greener pastures yourself. Experts say find a mentor within your own organization who can prepare you to assume an eventual leadership role. Experience is a valuable commodity that can result in promotions and raises or else put you in good stead should you decide to look for a new job. Write your own ticket. If you are serious about changing jobs, look at the Fortune 1000 and choose 30 or 40 companies of interest and send your resume to the CIO stressing your experience and willingness to continue working in COBOL. Linda Dailey Paulson writes about bleeding-edge technology and IT trends.
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