The problem with mainframes is that the younger generation is going to have to eventually inherit the older generations problems. Which is a fundamental problem. You have the older grayhairs who don't want to get axed before they retire, and you have the younger hotshots who couldn't give a hill of beans about a decrepit and outdated kluged monstrosity. I graduated about two years ago, and I inherited a VAX/VMS based system for a power plant. Yeah Vaxes are old and klunky, but there's something to be said about a computer system that has been running a nuclear power plant for over 12 years. We have over 8000 gizmos hooked up to a computer that has a little bit more computing horsepower than a P33(yes that is a 33MHz not 133 even). I know that this probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I find that everything I've learned here is going to pay off it's weight in gold in years to come(5-15 years). Most people in this industry are getting reasonably close to retirement which means that all the knowledge I've gained now will be in high demand later. And that's the key to putting up with these old monstrosities now. Hardware doesn't run forever. So eventually that old computer will get replaced, and you'll then be the one on the head of the technology curve. The trick is looking at the worth of what you're currently doing and see how it will profit you in the future.
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I also do keep up on the tech weenie stuff from Microsoft just to be on the safe side ;)
The problem with mainframes is that the younger generation is going to have to eventually inherit the older generations problems. Which is a fundamental problem. You have the older grayhairs who don't want to get axed before they retire, and you have the younger hotshots who couldn't give a hill of beans about a decrepit and outdated kluged monstrosity. I graduated about two years ago, and I inherited a VAX/VMS based system for a power plant. Yeah Vaxes are old and klunky, but there's something to be said about a computer system that has been running a nuclear power plant for over 12 years. We have over 8000 gizmos hooked up to a computer that has a little bit more computing horsepower than a P33(yes that is a 33MHz not 133 even). I know that this probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I find that everything I've learned here is going to pay off it's weight in gold in years to come(5-15 years). Most people in this industry are getting reasonably close to retirement which means that all the knowledge I've gained now will be in high demand later. And that's the key to putting up with these old monstrosities now. Hardware doesn't run forever. So eventually that old computer will get replaced, and you'll then be the one on the head of the technology curve. The trick is looking at the worth of what you're currently doing and see how it will profit you in the future.