Do I really have career growth if I continue in mainframe projects?

Unfortunately, I won't be able to directly give a binary “yes or no” answer to this question. Depending on your project, career, organization and domain situation, you must answer this question yourself.

However, I will list down a few key factors that influence the answer and helps in decision making:



  1. The stretch of "core functionality” of the organization that is present the mainframe.
  2. 10-year roadmap of the organization
  3. The practise (extent and intent) of using the latest features and upgrades available in the mainframe as a culture within the organization.
  4. Investments (projects) to enhance or simplify maintenance of existing applications.
  5. Opportunity to work with different applications and modernization efforts.
  6. Popularity of using the mainframe within the industry or domain you are aligned with.
  7. Your own perception to present yourself as a mainframe person to your network.


Most of these points above summarize the thoughts reflected in my previous blogs in this series. Of all the influencing points, I feel the last one needs an honest opinion.

Do you have any other questions that I think I should answer as a blog?

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