This blog is for all things COBOL.
“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before. Growth and comfort do not coexist” is a famous insightful quote by Ginni Rometty, former Executive Chairman at IBM.
My name is Donna Jennings. Having been a COBOL system designer and programmer, in an IBM Mainframe environment, for over 27 years, I have been presented many times with new and exciting challenges. COBOL is an interesting programming language, which is often underestimated and disregarded, even though it is still widely used and respected in the industry worldwide today.
I know that I have a unique perspective to share. I was born at the end of the Baby Boomer generation, so I have a foot in the door of both that generation and the Gen Xers. I learned and coded Java for a few years in the middle of my career. As a result, I also have a Java vs COBOL insight. As a woman in Technology, I want to share my experiences and changes that have happened over the years. This blog is not meant to be a technical tutorial. My goal is to encourage COBOL-focused discussions, centered around organizational behavior, types of workers, how interactions happen, the impact of the new on the old, women in technology, and many other topics.
I love the culture of the COBOL programming language and how it has provided so many people, including myself, with a lifelong livelihood. The opinions I share are completely my own, based on my many years of experience working in a COBOL development environment, as well as my education, which includes a BA, a BComm, and a Diploma in Programming.
I hope I never become so comfortable that I stop growing.