Old tech

Message:

My Dad kept a sheaf of punchcards till he retired in 2008. Ran 'em once a month.

Two of his ex-coworkers, still in the industry still have punchcards. They both work two or three days a month to supplement their pensions.

See, banking still largely runs on 60's era mainframes on COBOL or SNOBOlL... Because turning the machines off to swap/upgrade for an hour would cause billions to vanish from the world's economy.

If you know COBOL or SNOBOL you can make upwards of $250/hour as a consultant. Three days a month nets the guys I know a quick extra $6k/month, $72k/year. Not a bad income on top of the retirement pension.

Since universities and trade schools don't teach COBOL and SNOBAL anymore, I'm waiting for the financial crises when the last COBOL/SNOBOL programmers retire or die.

My dumb ass should have learned COBOL/SNOBOL. I'd jump on a $2k workday.

Yours,