Another One Bites The Dust

[BroosterB1]

Because I'm a dinosaur. My skill set is all mainframe related - COBOL, PL/I, IMS DB/DC, DB2, JCL & a bunch of other acronyms - & the only folks who use mainframe computers are big companies, which are all cutting their workforce or off-shoring. Based on what IT jobs I've seen available, I would need some major retraining & at 53, I'm not sure that'd be worth the time & effort to then compete against college grads or those who live in a country with a much lower cost of living.

Besides, I've spent 20 years developing my DJing into a nice part-time business. With absolutely no promotion on my part, I do about 30-35 gigs a year from repeat customers, referrals from satisfied customers, or folks who've attend my gigs. And it's something I really enjoy doing. Add to that the fact that we can live on my wife's income & medical benefits while I crank up the DJing into a full-time business & my course of action seems fairly obvious.

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Red, Follow your bliss. You will wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Not that it will be easy, or that you will not wake up at three in the morning wondering what the heck your doing, but you can and will handle that; the point is you have an escape plan.

Spend some (not a lot) on getting your name out. Right now is bridal season, check out the bridal fairs, the bridal guides. Look in Craigs list, internet, et al, for planners, offer to work with them, use your church and offer discounts to members for DJ'ing their weddings.

Before you know it, you'll wonder how you ever found time to work the IT Job. You do the math, if you can double your gigs, net $500 a gig you've got a nice addition to the wife's income.

Another thing you'll find is that people who know computers are avaluable resource, regardless of if you know Cobal, Fortan, C, C+.

See it, Believe it, Achieve it. Make it so.

[Splash_4]

Because I'm a dinosaur. My skill set is all mainframe related - COBOL, PL/I, IMS DB/DC, DB2, JCL & a bunch of other acronyms - & the only folks who use mainframe computers are big companies, which are all cutting their workforce or off-shoring. Based on what IT jobs I've seen available, I would need some major retraining & at 53, I'm not sure that'd be worth the time & effort to then compete against college grads or those who live in a country with a much lower cost of living.

Besides, I've spent 20 years developing my DJing into a nice part-time business. With absolutely no promotion on my part, I do about 30-35 gigs a year from repeat customers, referrals from satisfied customers, or folks who've attend my gigs. And it's something I really enjoy doing. Add to that the fact that we can live on my wife's income & medical benefits while I crank up the DJing into a full-time business & my course of action seems fairly obvious.

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Man do I resemble that... and I feel like a dinosaur. Best of luck sir, and let's hope that there is still work for us when it is all said and done.

[Downix]

Man do I resemble that... and I feel like a dinosaur. Best of luck sir, and let's hope that there is still work for us when it is all said and done.

The world is moving back to the mainframe, with IBM and Sun introducing the "Miniframe" concept, a hybred Mainframe/Blade design. Dell and Microsoft are both pushing further in that direction, with Cloud computing, Netbooks, all becoming more and more dependent on Mainframe technology, now attached to the greater internet. The companies which canned their big iron are almost all eradicated, absorbed, or dying, and those that can embrace are poised to take over the next decade.

The King is Dead, all hail the King!

[Derek Conley]

Good luck... perhaps you'll find a path which is more enjoyable for you!

[SteveB]

Retro Red,
The world of mainframe is not going away it is just getting pretty new names. Many small associated businesses are using the internet as the connection to the big machine. Even in the small store that I work in, our cash register shares data, and transacts business with the mainframe in the Windy City. It is our inventory maintenance lifeline. This type of function is only going to grow as more transactions are completed over the internet for the smaller stores and internet only based retail businesses.
DJ like crazy, if the economy will let you, but keep one finger on the IT pulse.
Function hall business (and the need for DJs for these functions) has dropped by close to thirty percent in this neck of the woods. Even some of the rentals are using Ipod boomboxes for the entertainment, rather than hire a real person.
May your luck be good.
Steve

[Weasel Mender]

Red,
Sorry yours sprung. I am standing on my own here hoping that it will either drop or I will be told to move off the trap! Waiting for it to happen is the worst part, living in the land of "what if" sucks badly. I do have a tin parachute, 6 months severance. Maybe I can get a job as CEO somewhere, I am certain I can run a company into the ground and will only charge a couple of million to do it and not demand a continuing pension for my work.......any takers?

Weasel

[thescot]

Well, Red, several of us have been there. And believe me, we defiitely sympathize, empathize, and wish you the best. It's not a good place to be, and, to quote one of my favorite movies, Good Morning Viet Nam, "It's a big #$^ sandwich, and we're all going to have to take a bite!"

I'll see yours and raise you one:

In 2000, after the i-bubble burst, several of us were laid off as consultants with a good sized software company. That was in May, three weeks before our stocks options would have come due.

In July, with no job and COBRA insurance, I had a massive heart attack (that cost me a new job I would have started in August), and I ended up having to have a heart transplant in September.

Please understand, this is not a play for anyone's pity. I'm fine and not deserving of pity. But that's the point. Sometimes Life sucks, and you just have to get on and figure out how to handle it.

We all wish you well and will add you to our growing prayer list.

[Retro Red]

Thanks, guys, I do appreciate your words of encouragement, support & advice.

Red,
Sorry yours sprung. I am standing on my own here hoping that it will either drop or I will be told to move off the trap! Waiting for it to happen is the worst part, living in the land of "what if" sucks badly. I do have a tin parachute, 6 months severance. Maybe I can get a job as CEO somewhere, I am certain I can run a company into the ground and will only charge a couple of million to do it and not demand a continuing pension for my work.......any takers?

Weasel

I hear ya, WM. I'd been stuck in that Limboland for 3 months since they announced last October that they were going to "redeploy" some of us & the time they actually told us this last Tuesday. At least I can take some definite action now.


My view on this is - ya cannot keep a Scotsman down!!!

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