I'm currently doing my practical work for a Higher Vocational Diploma and got placed in a team that works with COBOL. I was hoping to focus on Java and modern programming concepts, but now I'm dealing with this older tech. While I understand that COBOL is still in demand, I'm concerned about my career growth and job opportunities if I specialize only in it. I was thinking maybe I could stick it out, gain some experience, and then either switch projects within the company or look for a different job later. Meanwhile, I plan to self-study essential skills like microservices and cloud development. Am I making a mistake by investing my time in this role?
2 Answers
Honestly, just finish your certification and focus on learning the basics. COBOL might be old school, but it’s still super valuable in industries like banking. The skills you're picking up now will transfer to other languages down the line. If you want to learn modern tech, work on personal projects in your free time—that's where you'll really grow!
A lot of major banks are still running COBOL for their trading systems, so there’s definitely a market for it. It might not be trendy, but it plays a crucial role behind the scenes. Just remember, every programming language can teach you something useful, so don’t stress too much about it being outdated. You're gaining experience in an essential area.
Yeah, I've heard that too! It makes me feel a bit better knowing that there's still demand for COBOL, even if it's not the newest tech out there.