What Is a Cobol Mainframe Developer and How to Become One

By ZipRecruiter Marketplace Research Team

As a COBOL mainframe developer, your primary responsibilities include designing new computer programs using the COBOL programming language. Your duties are to design, develop, and configure code for new programs, test these programs to make sure they function on the intended operating system, and implement adjustments needed. Once that process is complete, you launch the program for public or private use and provide support and upgrades to the user. You should have extensive knowledge and experience working with software development, and if you are working in IT for a company, you should be able to troubleshoot their current mainframe. Teaching others about what you have developed and making sure they understand how to use it are also your responsibility.

To become a COBOL Mainframe Developer, you need a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. You should also be extensively familiar with the COBOL programming language, and you should have a basic understanding of other computer languages, such as SQL. You need to interact with various systems, so you should have the flexibility and skills to do so. Other qualifications include critical thinking, analytical skills, and attention to detail.