I Am a Mainframer: J.J. Lovett on Mainframe Careers, Open Source & Skills Gap

In this episode of the Mainframe Connect podcast's I Am a Mainframer series, J.J. Lovett, Lead for Education and Customer Engagement at Broadcom Mainframe Division, shares his journey from CA Technologies customer advocacy to leading Mainframe Open Education, Vitality programs, and practitioner engagement at events like SHARE and IDUG.J.J. tackles the mainframe skills gap head-on, explaining why it's both a navigation challenge (knowing where to find talent) and a time gap (2-4 years to master sysprog/admin roles). He highlights shifting demographics—millennials and Gen Z now dominate BMC surveys—and how Broadcom addresses this through student user groups, mentorship, and open source integration with projects like Zowe and COBOL."The mainframe isn't a job, it's a career" – J.J. advises college grads: start with z/OS Explore, embrace risks, and recognise mainframe's extensibility through APIs. He shares his vision for proactive succession planning and a future where mainframe experience makes technologists more versatile across IT.Celebrating Military Appreciation Month – J.J. represents military veterans bringing discipline and leadership to mainframe education and customer success during May's Military Appreciation Month.#mainframe #IamaMainframer #OpenSource #Broadcom #MainframeSkills #MilitaryAppreciationMonth #podcast #openmainframeproject #LinuxFoundation #StevenDickens #MainframeConnect #Careers #Zowe