Tom,

My comments weren't directed at older people in general. It was just a statement of fact, that at least prior to Y2K, every big place I worked had an ancient system that wasn't on the radar to be upgraded. There was always 1 guy in his late 40s-50s who sat in the corner maintaining the system. And it was also a person who had no desire to learn new skills.

The main point of my discussion was that I was bringing up the point that I've seen the results of someone not wanting to learn something new in their career. And now I've seen Fox programmers whose skills have not progressed beyond FP Dos.

I've never had blinders on, in reference to age, when looking for someone to bounce ideas off of. I've just seeked out the person who is best able to explain concepts, and is willing to share their experience.

I think the problem for a lot of people, is that until the 80s when the PC revolution began, there were hardly any major language overhalls occuring. There would maybe be a different type of "Sort" added to Cobol. And the shop you worked in would maybe bring in Adabas or DB2. Or they might change to MVS, so you would have to learn a new version of JCL. But for the most part, there weren't hugh demands on someone to constantly maintain their skill set.

If people from that environment were lucky enough to hang onto a mainframe job through the 80s, they became lax and didn't feel the need to learn other skills.

I'm sure you've seen of few of these "dinosaurs" in your day. Although, living in the middle of the revolution, I'm not sure how much mainframe work has hung on in your area.

PF


>I have been that "older guy" in every place I have worked as a programmer. I have worked with whiz kids just out of college as well as Ph.D.’s and other programmers with years of experience. One of my greatest joys as a programmer is to teach others what I have learned. I do this all the time and with a number of different tools. Being old has nothing to do with not understanding and being able to apply the latest technology. It just takes a desire to do so and I am like a little kid at Christmas with any new technology.
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>Perhaps your comments were directed at Cobol programmers. I came from the Fortran world, so I like to crunch numbers. In Silicon Valley it is hard for anyone over 40 years old to get a job in the technical arena. I know many older programmers who run circles around younger programmers. Why? Because they are competent, care and know how to get the job done correctly. Correctly includes in a timely manner and professionally.
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>At one place where I worked the manager called a special meeting. He told the 14 people in our group, “Everyone should have a map to Tom’s office. If you ever have a programming problem see him”! It is nice to have the confidence of your boss and those people you work with!
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>By the way my favorite game is Chess and I think that is one reason I like programming - the thought process involved takes a interesting type of thought process.
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>Tom