Why Mainframe Development Is a Great Career Choice

We’ve all seen the latest headlines that tech hiring has started to retract, with companies like Meta, Tesla, Coinbase, Netflix, and many others announcing layoffs, hiring freezes, and cutbacks. If you’re a developer, this does not necessarily mean you should panic.

There are secular trends that will drive the need for IT talent for decades to come, but you may need to change your focus. While the rising interest in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) has created a surge in the need for, and number of, Python developers, that may make it more difficult to find new opportunities, so developers should be open to other categories, especially those that do not get as much attention.

So, which ones, then? How about mainframe development?

Yes, this is certainly a contrarian view when the lingering perception is that mainframe development is old school and there are few opportunities. The reality, though, is much different, and the future for growth is actually quite promising.

Let’s see why.

Digital Transformation

Digital transformation remains one of the biggest priorities for CEOs, especially those of large companies. The fear is that a market disruption could take down incumbents, such as what happened with Blockbuster Video, Kodak, and Borders Books.

The market for digital transformation is expected to continue its growth, and a large portion of the spending that will come from companies in industries like insurance, healthcare, retail, banking, and utilities, which often have mainframe footprints. Governments, another institution with deep ties to the mainframe, will also need to modernize.

The bottom line: There is now and will continue to be a growing demand for developers who understand mainframe development. There will also be a need for skills to integrate modern technologies such as mobile apps.

Demographics

The 19^th century philosopher, Auguste Comte, is often credited with the quote, “Demography is destiny.” Whether it was his or not, the idea holds. Population trends can have a huge impact.

What does this have to do with mainframe development? Well, many developers are from the Baby Boomer generation and they are retiring. In the meantime, there has not been much mainframe training for younger generations. Keep in mind that the COBOL programming language is rarely taught in colleges anymore.

So, while demand is driving the need for mainframe development, there is a problem with the supply of developers.