TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
The job I have here back at the University of Kansas deals mainly with
hardware and networking, however, and COBOL programming is not so
popular anymore.
Well, Toto, I believe that everywhere outside of Kansas, COBOL programmers
are having happy days and earning more dollars than they dreamed of in
their former lives, working as contractors on massive Year 2000 projects.
All the old mainframe programs with date routines are being cleaned up as
fast as possible. Most big companies started this effort two or three or
more years ago. The saying then was along the lines of, "Get your
competent COBOL'ers now and cheaper, or get the less capable ones later and
way more expensive."
If you are crackerjack at COBOL, call some respected local contract
agencies and see what they might have to offer you.
Have fun, be appreciated, and clean up now - THEN go for the tech writing
career. Unless, of course, the money doesn't matter and you just want to
have a different kind of fun and argue with your online peers about e.g.
vs. i.e., what tech writers should really be called, Word vs. Framemaker,
and what information to put on your resume. If you prefer the latter,
welcome aboard!
