My journey into Mainframe wasn’t something I planned — it’s something I discovered.
I originally studied mathematics and computer science with a strong focus on security and cryptography in UNIX operating systems, and I began my career as a software developer in the financial services industry. At that time, Mainframe wasn’t really on my radar.

I first learned about Mainframe through my very first role at PPI, where on day one I found myself in front of a completely black screen with a blinking cursor in the corner — a CICS terminal. That experience, and the systems behind it, opened the door for me. What stood out to me was the combination of scale, reliability and business criticality: these weren’t just systems; they were the backbone of national and international payments.

My first steps into Mainframe involved on-the-job learning, mentoring from experienced colleagues, and building real payment servers for production use. We started with servers for retail payments (HBCI, now known as FinTS), and I later moved into corporate and interbank payments, developing large-scale server applications in that space. I quickly realized that it’s not just about technology — it’s about people. The support from my mentors, teammates and the wider Mainframe community helped me grow, take on more responsibility, and gain confidence working on highly critical systems.

Today, I work as a department head at PPI, after having spent many years as the development lead for IBM Mainframe solutions within the company. I’m proud to still be closely connected to the Mainframe ecosystem and to remain responsible for a range of important applications that run on it. What excites me most is seeing how Mainframe continues to evolve — combining proven reliability and security with modern technologies and architectures to support new business models and innovation in payments and beyond.

If you’re considering Mainframe, my advice is simple: take the first step. There’s no single path into this space — my own journey started with a blinking cursor on a black screen. Sometimes the most rewarding journeys are the ones you don’t plan, especially when they lead you to the systems that keep the world’s most critical transactions running every day.