What's an antiquated programmer to do?

[Capt Jack]

Originally Posted by DreadPirateRoberts

Is it possible that your skills will be come more valuable now that there are less LINC programmers around? Any contract jobs on monster? Maybe a two pronged approach, LINC, and learn SAP. If you know where they are headed, maybe you can get your skillset up to speed before it's needed.

this was my thinking. as a fellow dinosaur (couple decades of cobol programming here) the market early on was wide and varied...now its narrow and vanishing (or so Im often told). However...those who still use it (either by necessity, shallow pockets or fear of progressing to the next level) often go to great lengths to retain those who know the old ways well enough to stem off having to spend the bazillion dollars upgrading to the next level.

get a good head hunter in addition to doing your own searches. do lesser contracts for more money. make the old ways your specialty instead of your liability. a great many companies out there still need us both. while doing so, start taking on some of the SAP stuff.

your skills after that many years far...FAR exceed just the knowledge of a language. "the biz" as my mentor once told me, goes eons beyond simple languages. you could be a IT/user liason. knowing how, where, when and why to work with the end users is a career all to itself. knowing how to translate one to the other is more valuable than gold to the right employer.

a tinkers damn