Mainframe sales and AI job growth; declining IT roles and ineffective department habits; IBM Power Systems and Python learning resources; IT modernization challenges, data strategy importance, and AI impact on manufacturing; DevOps and open‑source package management best practices; career advice for RPG developers and hiring insights.
Are you an RPG Developer Superhero?
Remember Plastic Man? His power is elasticity. This allows him to be flexible and agile. Key skills in today’s modern IT environment. Or Batgirl? She maximized her natural potential by learning everything she could from her mentor, Batman. We see huge opportunities in the IBM i community for experts to act as mentors. What about Superman? He is equivalent to today’s IBM i architect or an IBM i Full Stack Developer. Someone who knows multiple languages (RPG, PHP, Node.js) and is familiar with software, hardware, network and operating systems. In all seriousness, I talk to superhero RPG Developers all day long. They have all kinds of special powers that give them the ability to perform at a high level. Here are some of the traits that I see:
- Determination: They never give up when faced with a challenge.
- Curiosity: They are naturally willing to question the status quo.
- Resourcefulness: They leverage their connections to solve complex business problems.
- Flexibility: They realize the way they use to do things are not always the best way to do it in the future.
- Growth Mindset: They are not satisfied with what they know but rather are always looking to understand the things they don't.
If you are an RPG Developer with some of these special powers, let’s talk.
Here is what is going in the IBM i community this week.
- News: Mainframe sales and AI will create jobs.
- Career: 4 dying IT jobs and the ineffective habits in IT departments.
- Learning: IBM Power Systems and Python.
- Modernization: Hype, fads and the AI revolution in manufacturing.
- Open source: How to avoid blame in DevOps and Open source packet management.
News
IBM earnings fueled by Mainframe sales “The best-performing segment of IBM’s business against expectations was, again, the legacy mainframes business.” The mainframe continues to live on by expanding into new areas. It has been said before, what’s old is new again. Contrary to current fears, AI will create jobs and grow GDP “The McKinsey models predict that 70 percent of companies will adopt at least one form of AI — whether computer vision, natural language, virtual assistants, robotic process automation, or advanced machine learning — by 2020.”
Career
Four dying IT jobs As new technology is moving in, we all must be open to change. “For those IT professionals who enjoy continuous learning and new challenges, that’s a boon. However, it also means that some roles are undergoing more than just a shift.” This article paints an interesting picture. How do you think this relates to the IBM i market and RPG Developers? Five habits of ineffective IT departments We all have bad habits and they often times creep into our daily work and become engrained into the culture of our IT departments. The one habit that stands out in this article that I see all too often applies to both hiring and one’s own career growth. In hiring, there is “too much emphasis on finding someone with the right skills, as opposed to one that is willing to learn new ones.” On the flip side, far too many individuals are unwilling to learn new skills.
Learning
IBM Power Systems E980 – Introduction to the server that powers the IBM i If you are looking to gain some insight and a better “understanding of a new architecture of the IBM Power System E980 (9080-M95) server that supports IBM AIX®, IBM i, and Linux operating systems (OSes).” Then you should take a look at this Redbook. It will introduce you to what IBM Power Systems are capable of. Learn to analyze data with Python Have you thought about learning Python? Here is your chance. “This course will take you from the basics of Python to exploring many different types of data. You will learn how to prepare data for analysis, perform simple statistical analyses, create meaningful data visualizations, predict future trends from data, and more!”
Modernization
Technology hype and fads When you look at IT modernization where should you start? Sometimes it seems as though there are “too many choices with no real benefit.” Unfortunately, we have seen many IT modernization initiatives fail after millions of dollars have been spent. The reason is often that a data strategy is being overlooked. “IT modernization without an enterprise data strategy is a costly mistake.” How AI is revolutionizing manufacturing IT modernization intersects with digital transformation. AI is just one of the areas. IT needs to understand the demand for AI because “the majority of manufacturing companies, 80 percent, expect to see positive effects of AI initiatives, with a predicted increase in revenue of 22.6 percent, and a 17.6 percent reduction in costs.”
Open Source
Avoid blame to build a successful DevOps environment “The three pillars of DevOps are flow, feedback, and continuous improvement. How can an organization or a team improve if its members are focused on finding someone to blame?” Open source package management on the IBM i “So, what is Package Management? Firstly, let us step back and run through how we typically manage our software on the IBM i.”
Join
Sign up for Talsco Weekly to get the latest news, insight and job openings for the IBM i professional.
Contact us
If you are an RPG programmer looking to explore opportunities or a client who is looking for a talented IBM i professional, please contact us. We look forward to assisting you.
Share
Do you know of an RPG Developer who could benefit from Talsco Weekly? If so, please use the social media buttons to spread the word. Thank you!
Share
Do you know of someone who could benefit from Talsco Weekly? If so, please use the social media buttons to spread the word. Thank you!