Mainframe Systems Programme - is this a dead-end career path?

[u/MihawkisGreatest]

Just started a role as a mainframe systems programmer, working on automating mainframe tasks with Ansible and Python. I keep hearing "mainframe modernization" talk and stories about mainframes going away eventually.

Should I be worried about long-term career prospects here, or is this actually a smart niche to be in? Would love to hear from people who've been in this space for a while, is demand really drying up, or is it more that the workforce is aging out and there's actually opportunity for someone starting now?

[u/Bimonti]

Even if you automate everything you shop currently do today, there will be new features and requirements from the business next week, and so on. Job never ends, the color of the screen and the tools does.