What's an antiquated programmer to do?

scaeagles · 06-21-2006, 03:04 PM

Hmmm....a predicament.

I have been programming in a Unisys proprietary language called LINC for 16.5 years. I've dabbled in a few other things. When I began in 1990, it was relatively new, hot, and growing. However, it is dying in the US, though in Europe and New Zealand it still has a presence. It is a language for programming financial systems, though it could be used for any sort of massive data management.

Changes in management to where I contract (and have for the last 10 years) have resulted in political pressure to change to something called SAP. A big ugly monster that will cost this place an estimated 8 million bucks to convert to. Up until February the general manager was completely against this expenditure. He retired. New guy comes in from corporate. He wants to move in the new direction.

I had been told about a month ago that they were going to reduce my billable hours due to budgetary concerns. That was a bummer and a surprise, as I had only two months before gotten a 13% rate increase approved.

So.....based on what they've communicated to me, I could have this work for anywhere from six months to four years, and the level of billable hours could decrease further.

So what to do? Learning other languages is not a problem, however, everyone wants someone to have experience in a given language. I have no desire to start at the bottom of the food chain somewhere with 16.5 years of management, analysis, design, and programming under my belt.

Career change? Go back to school? Everything I have been trying to think of to do results in a dramatic decrease in income and also takes away my home office, and I LOVE working from my home office.

Sigh. Sad to be 37 and antiquated.

Ideas?

06-21-2006, 03:04 PM	#1
scaeagles I LIKE! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,819	What's an antiquated programmer to do? Hmmm....a predicament. I have been programming in a Unisys proprietary language called LINC for 16.5 years. I've dabbled in a few other things. When I began in 1990, it was relatively new, hot, and growing. However, it is dying in the US, though in Europe and New Zealand it still has a presence. It is a language for programming financial systems, though it could be used for any sort of massive data management. Changes in management to where I contract (and have for the last 10 years) have resulted in political pressure to change to something called SAP. A big ugly monster that will cost this place an estimated 8 million bucks to convert to. Up until February the general manager was completely against this expenditure. He retired. New guy comes in from corporate. He wants to move in the new direction. I had been told about a month ago that they were going to reduce my billable hours due to budgetary concerns. That was a bummer and a surprise, as I had only two months before gotten a 13% rate increase approved. So.....based on what they've communicated to me, I could have this work for anywhere from six months to four years, and the level of billable hours could decrease further. So what to do? Learning other languages is not a problem, however, everyone wants someone to have experience in a given language. I have no desire to start at the bottom of the food chain somewhere with 16.5 years of management, analysis, design, and programming under my belt. Career change? Go back to school? Everything I have been trying to think of to do results in a dramatic decrease in income and also takes away my home office, and I LOVE working from my home office. Sigh. Sad to be 37 and antiquated. Ideas?
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