RE: Getting Young People into IBM i

In my opinion it is to difficult to find new talents who are willing to work on IBM i and even to learn new programming languages such as RPG and Cobol.
... and it does not matter that the young guys coming from school have no experience with IBM I and RPG or Cobol.
The most important thing is, the can think structured (an may have learned one or two programming languages ... so they know how to structure programs!) Spaghetti code can be written in all programming languages!

But ... the companies have to be aware that they have to train the young guys (as it was always!
IBM offers a lot of educational material, articles, workshops and classes.
If your company is a Common Member you'll find hundreds of educational materials (without additional charge, just have a look on it)
There are companies outside who offer workshops and classes for Beginner and even advanced Programmer, IBM i Adminstrators, or DBE (Database Engineers) on Db2 for i (remotely or in person, for example Jim Buck imPowerTechnologies or myself and in Europe the same)

But ... if the company never "wasted" money for education and the "old" RPG programmer are still coding RPGIII on PDM and sub-sequently the application/programming is on the level of the last century) ... what they expect! Not only young talents do not want to work there, I also won't want to work there.
Also, if the company expects to find you talents who know the IBM i forward and backward, and can write RPG, Cobol and CL like a programmer who does it since 30 years (independent on whether this programmer uses old RPG or the most modern IBM i techniques) ... they will fail to find someone.

Long story short: The companies have to invest into education! not only of the new talents, but also the older guys with business experience, just to bring them on the newest level! Then it will be able a) to modernize the applications, bring them on the newest level, include new technologies and b) young talents and experienced IBM i programmers will stay, since the see the future!

In my experience (working in the education area). Only a few companies want to spend money in education on IBM I (even though there are so many new things and techniques that can be used on the IBM i). Instead they continue to use the old techniques grown over the years.

... and what I have seen, on other areas, for example in the PC world, Open source etc. there is money for education!

What I ask myself: What is wrong on the IBM i or on companies using IBM i (why they think it is legacy and not worth to modernize or to keep it and the PC world is better)?
Why do we always have to defend and our IBM i and prove that we can do the same things (and sometimes/mostly even better)?

Mit freundlichen Grüßen / Best regards

Birgitta Hauser
Modernization – Education – Consulting on IBM i

IBM Champion since 2020

"Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." (Les Brown)
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." (Derek Bok)
"What is worse than training your staff and losing them? Not training them and keeping them!"
"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to. " (Richard Branson)
"Learning is experience … everything else is only information!" (Albert Einstein)

-----Original Message-----
From: MIDRANGE-L <midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Jack Woehr via MIDRANGE-L
Sent: Wednesday, 10 May 2023 20:39
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Jack Woehr <jwoehr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Getting Young People into IBM i

Heard at NEUG:

Questioner: “How do we bring young people into the platform?”
Scott Klement: "Hire them."
❤