:lecture on
Ok, for those of you who remember the old script/vs formatting, I give you: :lecture on.
It's not really a lecture, just a whole blog full of me begging for help.
The word that really comes to mind is stewardship. We volunteers at SHARE are stewards of a 57 year old organization that has not only survived, but flourished in an extremely competitive business, and through a multitude of changes in the industry.
Take a look at the list of project officers for the MVS Core Technologies Project at
https://www.share.org/Connect/SHARE-Programs/MVS-Program. (Scroll to the bottom of the page). This is a large group of dedicated volunteers that labors tirelessly to put on wonderful conferences, manage requirements, speak at SHARE, chair sessions at SHARE, and provide feedback throughout the year.
In return, they get....absolutely nothing. Well, I guess there are the intangibles: A nice note on the resume, hopefully some kudos from the boss, but most of all, the satisfaction that they are helping to further the platform.
It's not always easy, I'll be honest with you. As with our daily jobs, there seems to be a lot of...explaining the platform. Educating the vastly uneducated about zSeries. And that gets frustrating. But the reward is in knowing that you did your best. I know that you face this kind of ignorance every day. But I'm asking you to dig down and find an hour a week to help us. SHARE is a volunteer organization. Though we do have a support staff at headquarters, the bulk of the year-round work is done by...MVS systems programmers, just like you and me. We have opportunities for you to help with requirements, website, administration, planning, and of course, speaking and chairing sessions, if you're able to get to SHARE. But even if you're not, you can still join our team and help our effort. And let me just say, this is a great team, which will only be made better with your help.
I guess I should close by thanking the current band of merry volunteers. They are true professionals and a pleasure to work with, and I count many of them as my dear friends.
If you'd like more information, please feel free to contact me at maryanne4psu@gmail.com or (703) 921-6437.
Until next time...
Mary Anne
z/OSSYgirl
:lecture off