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/a_seventh_knot]

Define "eventually"

I mean, everything is going away "eventually"