I’ve been working in mainframes for 12 years. Currently a senior security consultant, and I recently completed an MSc in cyber security. Along the way, I’ve been a practice lead in mainframe services, an information security manager working in governance, risk management, and compliance, and a z/OS security consultant. But before all that, back in 2012, I was a mainframe trainee at a successful consultancy specializing in IBM Z.

My experiences taught me that successful mainframe consultants are made, not born. The path ahead is not always straightforward but one thing is certain: the role of mentors and colleagues in shaping your development and the huge value of organizations like SHARE and Guide Share Europe are critical. These experiences gave me a passion for mentoring and education, and they led me to play an active role in the community. It all began for me at a GSE conference in 2011.

‘72 Percent of the World’s Production IT Runs on What?’¹

It was a revelation to discover the ubiquity and importance of the mainframe. Like many, my notions of the mainframe were shaped by popular culture from the supercomputer HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey to Mission: Impossible’s Tom Cruise hanging by a wire to hack the CIA mainframe. Not only did I learn about the importance of the mainframe, but I also learned about the massive skills shortage. After a couple of years at Staffordshire University, I had a sense of direction.

Taking the Plunge

I joined the industry as a trainee mainframe systems engineer at RSM Partners in February 2012. I gradually started to build my knowledge and skills under the watchful eye of seasoned colleagues, working in back-end office support and IT support. The main aspect was mainframe education: independent learning, formal training, networking events, monitored access to systems and, much later, actual project work. This activity was later formalized as the Mainframer in Training (MIT) program.

In my first six months, I attended seven formal lecture/workshop courses. I was an eager beaver. I was responsible, in many ways, for setting the pace and direction of my learning, and I embraced everything: z/OS, z/VM, RACF, CICS, Db2, the information management system (IMS), MQ, Unix system services (USS), WebSphere, and JES. Throughout, I was coached and mentored. Experienced mainframers kept me on the straight and narrow, answering my endless questions and supporting me at every step. Thinking back, I created my own personalized training plan.

New To Z: Developing the Talent of Tomorrow

The mainframe persists, is modernized, and is more relevant than ever.

As an industry, we need to boost the numbers of young people in the talent pool as quickly as we can — something Vertali is doing by funding and delivering its own New To Z (NTZ) initiative. Talent development focuses on giving individuals the breadth of skills and across-the-platform knowledge they need before they specialize. That wide experience can be lacking in today’s more atomized IT culture.

In a neat bit of circularity, I’m now supervising the company’s two latest NTZ recruits. I know what it feels like to be sitting where they are. They will hopefully benefit from what I learned, my successes, and more importantly my mistakes.

Lessons Learned

Everyone has their own journey, take control of it. When I started out, I probably tried to do too much, too quickly. You can’t be a master of everything straight away. But it’s also important to explore all the different areas and avenues of the mainframe in your early days. You can specialize later. You need a tailored training plan to make sure that what you’re doing is goal-oriented, structured, differentiated, supported, and constantly reviewed. And you need to document your learning.

To provide new mainframers with the breadth of experience they need before they specialize, training plans should cover specific topics and skills. It is important to remember that these topics should be at an overview level to allow new recruits to see the whole picture before specializing. A recommended starter being:

• Introduction to Mainframes
• Mainframe Architecture and Components
• Operating Systems
• Mainframe Programming Languages
• Database Management
• Mainframe Application Development
• System Administration and Maintenance
• Securing the Mainframe
• Mainframe Tools and Utilities
• Automation and Scripting
• Modernization and Integration
• Best Practices and Compliance

Wrapped around these technical areas should be soft skill training to allow for a well-rounded individual:

• Presentation skills
• Technical writing standards
• Effective communication skills
• Problem solving skills
• Leadership skills

You need to be in an environment where you can apply your new-found skills rapidly. Otherwise and unfortunately, it is a waste of time, energy, and money. Training without requirement is wasted and it is vitally important to not make training a tick box exercise. Review the Hermann Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve, a model that shows how learned information slips out of our memories, and that should make those pervious points more compelling. It’s important to have links to, and be able to communicate with, non-technical teams so that you can connect what you do with business requirements. Additionally, trainees should have a strong appreciation of process and of change and incident management.

Networking amongst peers is critical. Get involved in user groups and working groups, meeting people and, ideally, presenting at conferences. SHARE events, the GSE 101 Working Group, and GSE Next Gen initiatives are invaluable. You should start building your own network early. The person next to you at an event could, in 10 years, be the person you call with a severity 1 incident or the future client who calls you for help.

On a more personal level, my apprenticeship felt like spinning an awful lot of different plates at the same time. I learned how to survive on six hours’ sleep. Training is more than simply ticking boxes, and you should always create a backup of your work. Expect or reach out for assistance and support from colleagues; there’s no shame in asking for help.

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¹ https://mainframe.broadcom.com/blog/6-eye-openers-mainframe

Leanne Wilson started her mainframe career in 2012 as an apprentice at RSM Partners. 12 years later, she specializes in mainframe security and works as a security consultant at Vertali in the UK. Leanne has a passion for mentoring, education, and being involved in the mainframe community. In her spare time, she is attempting to learn the piano, spends endless hours walking her two crazy spaniels, and loves live music and spending time with friends and family.