How To Become A Mainframe Systems Programmer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a mainframe systems programmer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a mainframe systems programmer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $41.68 an hour? That's $86,704 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -17,900 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreMainframe Systems ProgrammerUS Average

Salary

6.8

Avg. Salary $86,704

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.1

Growth rate -7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 15.08%

Black or African American 4.97%

Hispanic or Latino 8.77%

Unknown 4.57%

White 66.44%

Gender

female 12.57%

male 87.43%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

5.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.7

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a mainframe systems programmer

Explore mainframe systems programmer education requirements

Most common mainframe systems programmer degrees

Bachelor's

68.3 %

Associate

20.0 %

Master's

10.0 %

Start to develop specific mainframe systems programmer skills

Skills	Percentages
Technical Support	6.87%
DB2	6.28%
Mainframe Systems	6.13%
REXX	4.75%
RMF	4.64%

Complete relevant mainframe systems programmer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New mainframe systems programmers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a mainframe systems programmer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real mainframe systems programmer resumes.

Research mainframe systems programmer duties and responsibilities

Recommend updates and assist in diagnosing defects by managing day to day functions and understanding of data encryption concepts.
Achieve improved efficiency and cost reduction goals through efforts and expertise provide in multiple LPAR eliminations and data center consolidations.
Modify JCL and Procs to include parameters.
Create and assign remedy tickets to production services.

Prepare your mainframe systems programmer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your mainframe systems programmer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a mainframe systems programmer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable mainframe systems programmer resume templates

Build a professional mainframe systems programmer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your mainframe systems programmer resume.

Apply for mainframe systems programmer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a mainframe systems programmer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do mainframe systems programmers rate their job?

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Mainframe systems programmer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023

Pros

$88K may be the average, but a Senior CICS System Programmer (let's say 5 to 10 years of experience, and really knowledgeable) will pay $70/hour. Again, you really have to know your internals and debugging, and newer stuff like CPSM, TCP/IP, JVM, etc.

Cons

You will be oncall...personally,I am once every 5 weeks. My shop is pretty static, so I don't get called often...but some shops can have brutal oncalls.