Chapter 42: COBOL Career Guide -- Further Reading
Books
"Mainframe People: Real Life Stories from Mainframe Professionals" by various authors This collection of essays and interviews with mainframe professionals provides insight into what COBOL careers actually look like in practice. The contributors describe how they entered the field, the projects they have worked on, the challenges they have faced, and the rewards they have found. Particularly valuable for newcomers trying to understand the culture and expectations of mainframe development teams. Search for this title through mainframe community websites and technical publishers.
"The Mainframe Handbook" by Frank G. Degnan This practical guide covers the full mainframe technology stack from a career perspective, including z/OS, JCL, VSAM, DB2, CICS, and COBOL, with guidance on how these technologies fit together in enterprise environments. The book includes interview preparation material and career development advice specific to mainframe professionals. Available through major online booksellers.
"The Pragmatic Programmer" by David Thomas and Andrew Hunt While not COBOL-specific, this classic book on software development practice covers the professional habits that distinguish good programmers from great ones: continuous learning, code craftsmanship, communication, and career management. The principles apply regardless of language and will help COBOL programmers build strong professional reputations. Available through major online booksellers.
Online Resources
Open Mainframe Project The Open Mainframe Project, hosted by the Linux Foundation, promotes open-source mainframe technologies and provides educational resources for new mainframe programmers. Their COBOL Programming Course offers a structured curriculum with hands-on exercises, and their community provides networking opportunities with both new and experienced mainframe professionals. Available on the Open Mainframe Project website.
IBM Z Xplore (formerly IBM Master the Mainframe) IBM's Z Xplore platform provides free, hands-on access to a z/OS system where you can practice COBOL programming, JCL, DB2, and CICS in a real mainframe environment. Completing the challenges earns digital badges that can be displayed on your resume and LinkedIn profile, demonstrating practical mainframe skills to potential employers. Available on the IBM Z Xplore website.
SHARE User Group SHARE is the premier independent technology community for IBM Z mainframe users. Membership provides access to technical presentations, working groups, educational sessions, and networking with thousands of mainframe professionals across industries. SHARE conferences and online events are excellent venues for learning about COBOL career opportunities and staying current with mainframe technology trends. Available on the SHARE website.
IBM Developer -- COBOL Resources IBM's developer portal maintains a collection of COBOL tutorials, code patterns, reference architectures, and community forums. The resources cover both traditional COBOL development and modern topics like DevOps, API integration, and cloud connectivity. The community forums provide an opportunity to ask questions and learn from experienced practitioners. Available on the IBM Developer website.
Certification Resources
IBM Certified Application Developer -- COBOL IBM's certification program validates Enterprise COBOL programming skills through a proctored examination covering COBOL language features, program structure, data handling, file processing, and debugging. The IBM Skills website provides exam objectives, study guides, and practice questions. Certification demonstrates verified competency to employers and is recognized across the global COBOL job market. Available through the IBM Training and Skills website.
Micro Focus COBOL Certification Micro Focus offers certification for COBOL development on distributed platforms (Windows, Linux, cloud), covering Visual COBOL, COBOL for .NET, and COBOL for JVM. This certification is valuable for programmers working with COBOL outside the z/OS environment, including organizations that have migrated COBOL workloads to distributed platforms. Available through the Micro Focus website.
Industry Reports and Market Data
Micro Focus Annual COBOL Survey Micro Focus publishes annual survey results on the state of COBOL in the enterprise, including statistics on the amount of COBOL in production, modernization trends, skill shortages, and investment plans. The survey data provides factual support for COBOL's continued relevance and helps job seekers understand market trends. Available on the Micro Focus website.
Gartner and Forrester Research on Mainframe Modernization Both Gartner and Forrester publish regular research reports on mainframe modernization trends, including workforce challenges, technology investments, and strategic recommendations. These reports (available through enterprise subscriptions) help COBOL professionals understand how their organizations and the broader market view mainframe technology, informing career planning decisions. Available through Gartner and Forrester websites.
Bureau of Labor Statistics -- Computer Programmers The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook provides data on employment, wages, job outlook, and educational requirements for computer programmers, including those working with COBOL and mainframe technologies. While the BLS data aggregates all programming languages, the wage and employment trend information helps COBOL professionals benchmark their compensation and career prospects. Available on the BLS website.
Stack Overflow Developer Survey The annual Stack Overflow Developer Survey includes data on programming language usage, developer satisfaction, and salary distributions. While COBOL's representation in the survey is small (reflecting the mainframe community's separation from the web-centric developer population), the salary data for COBOL programmers consistently shows above-average compensation, validating the supply-demand dynamics discussed in this chapter. Available on the Stack Overflow website.