Plans for getting back in the game

[quackhandle]

One for the old farts on here:

Job Title: VAX COBOL Lead Senior Programmer

Type: Subcontractor (Inside IR35)
Location: London (Hybrid - 2-3 days onsite in Kensington)
Duration: 6-12 months - ASAP START

Role Summary:

We are looking for a highly experienced COBOL Lead Developer with a strong background in VAXVMS to lead the support and enhancement of mission-critical Legacy applications.

* Key Responsibilities:

• Lead development and maintenance of COBOL applications on VAXVMS
• Collaborate with business and client teams to gather and prioritize requirements
• Design, estimate, and implement application fixes and enhancements
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across COBOL/VAX environments
• Support end users and guide development teams technically
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement long-term solution

* Required Skills:

• 10+ years of COBOL programming experience
• Strong expertise in VAXVMS systems and file/database management
• Proficient with VAX COBOL compilers and utilities
• Experience with ICMS tools and RDB databases
• Excellent debugging, communication, and leadership skills

qh

[Protagoras]

One for the old farts on here:

Job Title: VAX COBOL Lead Senior Programmer

Wow! I've not seen a machine running VAX VMS since the good old days of the 1990s.

[WTFH]

When you see adverts for VAX, it makes me wonder how many people are still alive and working that know much about it

[avonleigh]

Ah those were the days. 1988 I was a computer operator and we had to work with MAINFRAMES, DEC VAX / VMS, System 38, AS400, SEQUIOA, TANDEM. Can't believe somebody still uses them.

[sadkingbilly]

Ah those were the days. 1988 I was a computer operator and we had to work with MAINFRAMES, DEC VAX / VMS, System 38, AS400, SEQUIOA, TANDEM. Can't believe somebody still uses them.

those are Mini's or nonstops, not mainframes.
mainframes (IBM Z's) are at the heart of most major banks' processing. (and some insurance co's)
hth.

[Dorkeaux]

My bread and butter used to be mainframe work, assembler-level CICS, COBOL, Eazytrieve, Telon and tons of JCL and CLIST.
I dropped it all off my CV years ago. The roles don't move me forward, date me and usually don't pay much.

I have more marketable skills now, but my customers think I'm some weird polymath when I explain the difference between EBCDIC and ASCII, codepages and how to read COBOL copybooks.

As SKB says, they are still used by some banks and insurance companies. I wouldn't say most of them anymore.

[avonleigh]

My bread and butter used to be mainframe work, assembler-level CICS, COBOL, Eazytrieve, Telon and tons of JCL and CLIST.
I dropped it all off my CV years ago. The roles don't move me forward, date me and usually don't pay much.

I have more marketable skills now, but my customers think I'm some weird polymath when I explain the difference between EBCDIC and ASCII, codepages and how to read COBOL copybooks.

As SKB says, they are still used by some banks and insurance companies. I wouldn't say most of them anymore.

Used JCL, CICS etc a lot. Was an operational support guy. Don't know if those jobs exist anymore. Wasn't CLIST replaced by REXX?

[Protagoras]

When you see adverts for VAX, it makes me wonder how many people are still alive and working that know much about it

Competition for such roles will be limited, so this is a great opportunity to get a few quid in the bank for anyone not worried about developing new skills and close to retirement.

Just a shame that it's a 'Temp' not a 'Contractor' position. With no expenses, the pool of candidates will be geographically limited.

[sadkingbilly]

My bread and butter used to be mainframe work, assembler-level CICS, COBOL, Eazytrieve, Telon and tons of JCL and CLIST.
I dropped it all off my CV years ago. The roles don't move me forward, date me and usually don't pay much.

I have more marketable skills now, but my customers think I'm some weird polymath when I explain the difference between EBCDIC and ASCII, codepages and how to read COBOL copybooks.

As SKB says, they are still used by some banks and insurance companies. I wouldn't say most of them anymore.

RBS/Natwest, UBS, HSBC, Citi, Chase, Barclays, Lloyds, ABN amro, Aviva, first direct, Tesco, M&S*,- so just the small, new outfits

*not a complete list, just ones I've done work for.

[sadkingbilly]

Used JCL, CICS etc a lot. Was an operational support guy. Don't know if those jobs exist anymore. Wasn't CLIST replaced by REXX?

not replaced, augmented