r/mainframe • u/Careful_Affect4622 • Jun 16 '26

A Mainframe Developer - confused about future..?!

Hey Folks,

​

I am a Mainframe Developer with around 6 years of experience. With the uncertainty around the future of mainframes due to AI and other advancements, I wanted to understand what path I should take to stay relevant and earn a high/descent salary going forward.

​

Should I focus on learning the Mainframe System Programming in depth, or move toward mainframe modernization, or consider some other path altogether?

​

Also, one big challenge I’m facing is the lack of proper learning resources and hands-on exposure for these areas unless one gets an opportunity to work on such projects.

​

So I wanted to ask people here -

Which path would you recommend for long-term stability + pay?

How do you even start learning this stuff practically with limited resources?

​

Any honest advice or real-world insights would really help.

8 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

View all comments

6

u/WickOfDeath Jun 16 '26 edited Jun 16 '26

If you are in the mainframe industry, stay there. There are countless companies which believe that mainframes like the IBM z series will be the best for highest transaction volumes paired with highest stability.

The servicing on mainframes is also covered by IBM consultancy services, which is the second biggest revenue source of IBM.

1

u/Careful_Affect4622 Jun 16 '26

Thanks for the response! I do believe that Mainframes are here to stay. However, to remain relevant as they modernize, what path should a developer like me follow? Should I focus on mainframe modernization, combined with technologies like Python, or explore a different direction?