COBOL Skills Highly Desirable in the IT Job Market
 

When we think of computer science as a discipline, typically we consider it to always be on the cutting edge of new technology.  Recent research in the IT field shows that programming knowledge in particular legacy languages, such as COBOL, are still highly sought after skills due to the impending retirement of the baby-boomer programmers.  A recent survey clearly indicated that COBOL is still the most popular programming language in the mainframe world, whereas Java came in second.  Preliminary results also find 52% of mainframe applications are still written in COBOL.[i]  Students with experience and knowledge of COBOL in addition to Java will have a competitive edge over other job applicants in the IT industry.

In addition to Java programming courses, the Department of Computer Science at ISU continues to teach COBOL to undergraduate students through Computer Science In addition to Java programming courses, the Department of Computer Science at ISU continues to teach COBOL to undergraduate students through Computer Science 201.  This course, taught by Dr. Shui-Hui (Susan) Chang, provides students with a solid foundational knowledge of COBOL programming, giving them a competitive edge in the job market.  Computer Science 201 is a 3 credit online course, with orientation and test sessions scheduled on campus at intermittent dates throughout the semester.  The course webpage is available at www.cs.iastate.edu/~cs201/.  Sign up today!