What is the difference between Mainframe Development vs Mainframe Testing?

Career: Mainframe Development

AspectMainframe DevelopmentMainframe Testing
Primary FocusDesigning, coding, and maintaining mainframe applicationsVerifying and validating mainframe applications for bugs and performance
Required SkillsCOBOL, JCL, DB2, CICSTesting tools, scripting, debugging, knowledge of mainframe environments
Work EnvironmentDevelopment teams, coding in mainframe environmentsQuality assurance teams, testing labs, mainframe systems
CertificationsCOBOL certifications, IBM mainframe certificationsISTQB, mainframe testing certifications

While Mainframe Development involves creating and maintaining mainframe applications, Mainframe Testing focuses on ensuring those applications work correctly and efficiently. Both roles require knowledge of mainframe environments and related skills, but they serve different stages in the software lifecycle.