Iwritecode Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 45 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said: They still use COBOL? What's next, people still use FORTRAN? You'd be shocked at the number of companies that still use it. It's the old "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" mentality. And it's different companies in all different industries. Not really software companies. My first job was a company that handled magazine subscriptions. Second job was a large factory that bought and sold metal. I know I've seen job openings for credit card companies, candy companies, the company that makes Rubbermaid products. I also know a guy that told me about a friend of his that made a damn good living traveling around the country converting old programs to newer languages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 13 hours ago, Jack Parkman said: I was thinking data science, but I'm thinking into going into software development instead. I just want to get away from the UX/QA side and more into the code writing side. Cool. I’ve studied data science off and on over a few years and have worked on data projects at work. If I stay with my current employer I will graduate with my master’s degree next May. But I’m really trying to get into health care on the data analyst side to now so I may leave and continue my education if the new employer pays for the last two courses. Writing code is where it is at. JavaScript and Python seem to be the most useful to me, along with SQL. It can’t hurt to have languages on your resume and see if an employer will take a chance on you even if you have a basic understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2HH Posted November 14, 2019 Share Posted November 14, 2019 On 11/7/2019 at 8:57 AM, Iwritecode said: When I first got into coding the first language I learned was COBOL. It's an older language but fairly easy to learn and gave me a good base to learn other languages. Then when I graduated I spent the first 15 years of my career writing it. All the way up to 2015. You'd be shocked at the number of companies that still use it. My last company was desperate to find coders that knew it because the average age of their IT department was 55+. A lot of companies have literally 100s or 1000s of programs written in COBOL but very few places even teach it anymore. The companies don't want to spend the time/effort it would take to re-write them all either. So a suggestion... learn COBOL. My first language was Basic (Commodore 64), and later Pascal, C, C++, and last but not least, COBOL. Of course, prior to graduation I had fallen into an IT Tech Support/Jr. Infrastructure/Network job and never actually programmed a damn thing after I graduated ... but my original degree was in programming. From memory, the only way I can describe COBOL to people is like literally telling the computer, "PRETTY PLEASE MULTIPLY THIS DATA FIELD BY THIS DATA FIELD AND GIVE ME THE ANSWERS TO EACH INDIVIDUAL ROW IN A VERY NEAT METHOD." Obviously I'm exaggerating, but it was like trying to speak write programs based in pure English to a computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 I have a job prospect in Bradley, IL. Does anyone know any have any ideas for good suburbs to commute from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Sacamano Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 9 minutes ago, pettie4sox said: I have a job prospect in Bradley, IL. Does anyone know any have any ideas for good suburbs to commute from? You mean looking to move to a suburb to commute from? Where do you live now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, soxfan2014 said: You mean looking to move to a suburb to commute from? Where do you live now? Yes, sorry for the poor rhetoric. I live in the city at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Sacamano Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 (edited) 21 minutes ago, pettie4sox said: Yes, sorry for the poor rhetoric. I live in the city at the moment. All good. South suburbs like Tinley Park, Orland Park or Frankfort maybe? Edited January 15, 2020 by soxfan2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 1 hour ago, soxfan2014 said: All good. South suburbs like Tinley Park, Orland Park or Frankfort maybe? How are these areas in terms of racism? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Sacamano Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 16 hours ago, pettie4sox said: How are these areas in terms of racism? I've never noticed anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 What are some strategies SoxTalk members use when dealing with a job loss? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 On 1/15/2020 at 5:23 PM, pettie4sox said: How are these areas in terms of racism? Your pretty good in most of those. Homewood, Olympia fields would be good as well. Right on 57. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 14 hours ago, pettie4sox said: What are some strategies SoxTalk members use when dealing with a job loss? Honestly, I've gotten all my jobs including my current job without even specifically applying for them. They were all through job recruiters. My first job I applied for one job but the recruiter called me and said it had already been filled, then told me about another job opening. It also helped that I was in college at the time and 2 people that already worked there were in a few classes with me. When I got laid off from that job I lived on my severance and unemployment for about 6 months. Did all the usual stuff by applying to all the jobs I could, putting my name out on Linkedin, etc... Got one or two interviews but nothing came of them. Then I got a call from a recruiter about a contract job that I didn't even know existed. Ended up staying there for almost 5 years but the commute was a killer. My current job I got a call out of the blue. I wasn't actively looking as hard at the time but keeping my options open for a better opportunity. That was 5 years ago and I've been here ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Parkman Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 (edited) On 1/15/2020 at 5:23 PM, pettie4sox said: How are these areas in terms of racism? I know that this doesn't apply to you, but stay far far away from Kane, McHenry and Kendall Counties if you want to avoid racism. The dark side is strong there. There are lots of racist assholes around here. When I was younger, people used to chase other POC out of my neighborhood by setting up and accusing their kids of vagrancy/theft. Only one family of color remains in my neighborhood, and we've been good pals with them since the mid 90s. I have no idea why they stayed...... Edited January 21, 2020 by Jack Parkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soxfan49 Posted January 21, 2020 Share Posted January 21, 2020 On 1/15/2020 at 6:23 PM, pettie4sox said: How are these areas in terms of racism? Orland is pretty diverse with all races. Tinley is the same. Frankfort is fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
he gone. Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 On 1/15/2020 at 5:23 PM, pettie4sox said: How are these areas in terms of racism? This is sad that you have to ask this question in 2020. And I'm sorry you have to. Always just kill with kindness and understand the people who are racist are compensating and are missing out on a whole bunch in life by not accepting others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 4 hours ago, BrianAnderson said: This is sad that you have to ask this question in 2020. And I'm sorry you have to. Always just kill with kindness and understand the people who are racist are compensating and are missing out on a whole bunch in life by not accepting others. It's all good. When you are in an interracial relationship, you have to be vigilant about things like this. I took a job in the northern suburbs so I'm not going anywhere at this point. I got super lucky to find a new gig while my severance is being paid out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 A side note. I asked my former employer about my personnel file and they were quick to initially shut me down. I hired a damn good employment lawyer and she quoted an Illinois statute that basically says you can't withhold this information from an employee. It's being sent to me via mail, so I'm curious what kind of BS is in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Beast Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 2 hours ago, pettie4sox said: A side note. I asked my former employer about my personnel file and they were quick to initially shut me down. I hired a damn good employment lawyer and she quoted an Illinois statute that basically says you can't withhold this information from an employee. It's being sent to me via mail, so I'm curious what kind of BS is in there. What is in a personnel file? Also, what can new employers ask former employers about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, The Beast said: What is in a personnel file? Also, what can new employers ask former employers about? It's a file that has documented events of your performance. Normally the only thing a former employer can answer is, "Yes this individual worked here and for this long." If they say anything negative that could affect you getting a position with another company, you can sue them for libel. Edited January 30, 2020 by pettie4sox syntax 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptatc Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, BrianAnderson said: This is sad that you have to ask this question in 2020. And I'm sorry you have to. Always just kill with kindness and understand the people who are racist are compensating and are missing out on a whole bunch in life by not accepting others. Unfortunately, there always be racism/bigotry. There always going to be people who need to blame others for their issues whether its race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or religion. In today's environment you can even throw political party in there. Edited January 30, 2020 by ptatc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
he gone. Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 Yep, it's tough out there. All we can do is try to own our own sh*t and grow from it. That's why things like the White Sox & sports are so great - it's working together as a team for one goal regardless of background. It's also a break from real life for a few hours a day. That being said. Go spend some more Jerry so we can enjoy those few hours! haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pettie4sox Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 Has anyone ever backed out of a job offer a few days after accepting it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Parkman Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) Serious question: Why do we only find a person for the job? When that route fails, why can't we have a system in place where we find a job for the person? That way there are fewer people that are left behind. Everyone is good at something, even some ID people can contribute if we decided it was important. Some people just need to be told what to do, because choices lead to inaction. Edited February 6, 2020 by Jack Parkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lane Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 10 hours ago, Jack Parkman said: Serious question: Why do we only find a person for the job? When that route fails, why can't we have a system in place where we find a job for the person? That way there are fewer people that are left behind. Everyone is good at something, even some ID people can contribute if we decided it was important. Some people just need to be told what to do, because choices lead to inaction. Because a company has a purpose, which is the sole reason it exists. If that purpose is not to take care of society's stragglers, then it's going to find a person for the job and not find a job for the person. They don't care about that, and it's not their responsibility. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Parkman Posted February 6, 2020 Share Posted February 6, 2020 (edited) 53 minutes ago, lane said: Because a company has a purpose, which is the sole reason it exists. If that purpose is not to take care of society's stragglers, then it's going to find a person for the job and not find a job for the person. They don't care about that, and it's not their responsibility. It's either their responsibility, or don't complain about your tax bill. Edited February 6, 2020 by Jack Parkman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.