Editor’s Note: This is the third article in SHARE’s series highlighting the mainframe career journey at different stages. Read the “late in career” and "mid-career" pieces, and stay tuned for future installments. If you would like to participate in this series, reach out to editor@share.org.

Career transitions can feel daunting, especially when stepping into a field that is constantly evolving and advancing. But for professionals like Justin Bastin, global AIOps and workload automation solution advisor at Broadcom, and Trips Destella, z/OS systems programmer at DDC IT Services, the path into a mainframe career wasn’t linear, planned, or even fully understood at the beginning. Their stories reveal something powerful. Stepping into a mainframe career is not about where you start from, but how willing you are to learn, adapt, and connect.

Starting Without the Full Picture

For many, the journey begins with uncertainty. Bastin didn’t set out to build a career in enterprise computing — he simply took an opportunity. “I got hired right out of college to go into mainframe; however, I didn’t even understand what it was. It turned into an opportunity to build a life,” he says.

Similarly, Trips Destella discovered the mainframe almost by chance. A conversation at a conference, sparked by a simple interaction, introduced him to a field he hadn’t considered before.

These experiences highlight a common thread: you don’t need to fully understand mainframe to step into it. You just need to be open to the opportunity.

The Learning Curve: Structured, Continuous, and Real

Both Bastin and Destella emphasize that success in mainframe requires a commitment to learning, and that includes beyond initial training.

Bastin’s path combined formal education (e.g., COBOL, JCL, assembler) and two years of employer-led training and mentoring. He describes it as a progression:

• Crawl: learning foundational skills and installing basic software
• Walk: managing controlled environments and change processes
• Run: managing production systems and operating system installs

Destella took a similar approach through the Broadcom Vitality Program, supplemented with self-driven learning:

• Industry resources (e.g., IBM, Interskill Learning)
• Conferences like SHARE
• Continuous networking and peer learning

Mainframe environments are not mastered overnight, but through incremental, structure training, coupled with hands-on experience and consistent curiosity.

The Skills You Already Have Matter

One of the biggest misconceptions about entering the mainframe field is that it’s purely technical. Both professionals strongly push back on that idea. Bastin credits his early work as a caregiver for developing skills that proved more valuable than technical knowledge: listening, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and communication. “Anything you do on a mainframe is rarely done in a silo,” he says.

In working with individuals who had physical or mental disabilities, Bastin learned how to listen actively, work collaboratively, and approach situations with empathy and patience. He indicated that in the mainframe ecosystem, success depends on teamwork, cross-functional communication, and the ability to explain complex technical work to both peers and leadership.

Destella leaned into his military training — the discipline, structure, and resilience forged through service — alongside a professional background that ran deeper than it might appear on the surface. As the owner of a veteran-owned media agency, he had already begun laying a technical foundation, starting his IT journey as a junior web developer before pursuing cybersecurity certifications that signaled a deliberate shift in direction. When the pandemic forced productions to shut down, what looked like a setback became a pivot point. “My degree in media management might not have carried the same weight in the world of IT, but no matter what happens, you have to be able to curate and tell your story — show others how it all connects — and be ready to pivot,” says Destella

Destella highlights an unexpected but powerful parallel between his background in media and his work in mainframe ecosystem: the importance of documentation and storytelling. He describes how his instinct to record interviews, capture experiences, and “document everything” mirrors the core of mainframe culture, where systems, processes, and knowledge are meticulously recorded and preserved.

He points out, “I revisit early recordings and I can see how my understanding has evolved.” Mainframe professionals rely on detailed documentation to trace decisions, troubleshoot issues, and build on prior knowledge. “In both cases, success comes from recognizing that the answers already exist, you just need to know where to look, how to interpret them, and how to connect the story over time,” Destella explains.

These transferable skills are critical because mainframe work sits at the intersection of technology, business, and collaboration. The ability to explain value, work across teams, and communicate with stakeholders is just as important as technical expertise.

Networking: The Real Career Accelerator

If there is one theme both professionals emphasize repeatedly, it’s this: networking is everything.

Destella’s career pivot from training uncertainty to landing his current role came down to connections. Meeting mentors (e.g., Steve Hosie from Broadcom) and attending SHARE conferences gave him the connections he needed. “Steve Hosie would check up on me and make sure my progress in the Vitality program was going well. He always connected me with the right people in the community,” he says.

Leveraging word-of-mouth referrals and building a visible LinkedIn presence can also help build mainframe networks. “Dip into anything and everything to keep you in the mainframe ecosystem loop,” Destella adds.

Bastin agrees that these networks are key to transitioning and growing in a mainframe career. “These relationships extend beyond internal teams to vendors, partners, and the broader ecosystem,” he says. “Find your core people. That knowledge share is something you can’t get from a book.”

In mainframe field, career progression isn’t just about what you know. It’s about who you learn from and collaborate with.

Facing the Reality: Pressure, Responsibility, and Growth

Mainframe systems power some of the most critical infrastructure in the world (i.e., financial systems, government operations, and global enterprises) and working with that infrastructure comes with responsibility.

Bastin encourages professionals considering the transition to ask themselves two key questions: How committed are you to continuous learning and can you manage high-pressure environments?

Deadlines matter. Mistakes matter. But so does growth.

“Honest mistake, honest recovery” is a lesson Bastin credits to his mentor Stefan Kochishan, who recently retired from Broadcom, noting that it encapsulates his approach to learning and resilience in the mainframe field. He emphasizes that mistakes are inevitable, even in high-stakes environments, but what matters most is taking ownership, being transparent, and actively working to resolve the issue. Rather than defining failure, these moments become some of the most impactful learning experiences, helping build credibility, trust, and long-term professional growth.

Trips Destella’s approach to growth centers on his mantra, “marry the process, divorce the outcome.” He emphasizes, “Success in a new career, especially one as complex as mainframe, comes from committing to continuous learning and trusting the journey, rather than focusing only on immediate results.”

Like Bastin’s “honest mistake, honest recovery,” Destella highlights that uncertainty, setbacks, and even doubt are part of the process, and that resilience comes from staying engaged long enough to see how all the pieces connect. Over time, what once felt overwhelming becomes meaningful, reinforcing confidence and long-term growth.

Both professionals highlight that failure is part of the journey. In fact, some of the most impactful lessons come from mistakes, not successes.

Charting Your Path into Mainframe

Mainframe careers remain one of the most stable and opportunity-rich areas in technology. As both Bastin and Destella highlight, the field offers long-term career growth driven by sustained demand, a shrinking pool of experienced professionals, and highly transferable skills.

Bastin says, “If you learn mainframe technology, you can apply those skills anywhere. It’s just different terminology,” emphasizing that the discipline builds a strong technical and operational foundation that extends across cloud and distributed environments. For professionals with unique backgrounds, particularly veterans, Destella adds that pairing mainframe expertise with assets like a security clearance can open doors to highly sought-after, high-impact roles in government and critical infrastructure.

For those considering a transition, both journeys point to a clear set of practical steps.

• Start by gaining exposure through courses, conferences like SHARE, and conversations with people already in the field.
• Commit to continuous learning, recognizing that career growth in the mainframe environment is incremental and ongoing.
• Leverage your existing experience: whether it’s caregiving, military service, or another profession, the soft skills you bring — communication, discipline, problem-solving — are critical to success.
• Build a strong network early, as many opportunities emerge through relationships rather than traditional pathways.
• Be resilient. As Destella puts it, “you need to understand that progress comes from sticking with the journey through uncertainty and challenge.”

Ultimately, there is no single path into a career using mainframes and that’s part of its strength. Bastin’s reminder to approach growth with “honest mistake, honest recovery,” alongside Destella’s belief that “if it makes sense to you, you can make it make sense to anyone,” highlights a shared truth. Success in this field isn’t about perfection or a linear career path, it’s about curiosity, adaptability, and the willingness to keep learning. For those ready to embrace that mindset, mainframe offers not just a job, but a lasting and meaningful career.

Justin F. Bastin is a Solution Advisor within the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom, where he acts as a subject matter expert across AIOps, Workload Automation (WLA), enterprise storage systems, mainframe automation, and disaster recovery solutions. Drawing on years of hands-on industry experience, Justin advises mainframe customers on optimizing their operational architecture and modernizing their environments. Throughout his career, he has published white papers and technical blogs covering cyber resiliency, storage architecture, and ransomware protection. Justin is also a former President of SHARE Association, the world's premier enterprise technology user group.

Trips Destella transitioned from infantry machine gunner to enterprise technologist. A combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, he built a strong cybersecurity foundation before specializing in mainframe security (TSS and ACF2) via Broadcom's Vitality Program. Today, as a z/OS systems programmer supporting the Defense Information Systems Agency, he drives mainframe modernization utilizing DevOps and automation. His greatest strength is a beginner's curiosity backed by multidisciplinary experience, effectively translating insights across creative, technical, and business domains. To scale as a leader, he is completing an Executive MBA at the University of Tampa, aiming towards IT management, entrepreneurship, consulting, and talent development while continuing his mission to mentor transitioning veterans.