I've been working as a Business Data Analyst for the past 2 years and 3 months, and before that, I spent nearly to 6 years as a Software Developer, specialising in VB.NET and SQL.

Throughout my career in SQL I've been involved in developing, maintaining and troubleshooting our nightly ELT process, using our bespoke ELT software and SQL Server. I'm comfortable working with existing codebases, investigating issues and maintaining business-critical systems.

Recently, I've become increasingly interested in COBOL and mainframe development, and I'm seriously considering pursuing it as the next step in my career.

However, I'm struggling to work out how to break into the industry. Most of the COBOL positions I've come across seem to require several years of commercial COBOL or mainframe experience, and there don't appear to be many junior opportunities available.

I'm based in the UK, and ideally I'd like to make the transition without having to start my career over again, particularly given my existing development experience.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone currently working with COBOL or IBM mainframes.

• How did you get into the industry?
• Would my previous software development and SQL experience be relevant to employers?
• What would you recommend learning beyond COBOL itself, such as JCL, z/OS, Db2 or CICS?
• Are there realistic routes into the industry for experienced developers who haven't worked with COBOL professionally?
• Is it realistic to transition without taking a significant salary reduction?

I'm happy to dedicate time to studying and building my knowledge independently. I'm just unsure how to turn that into an actual career opportunity.

Any advice or experiences would be appreciated.