BeginnerFAQs
I am completely new. What should I learn first?
A realistic order that gets you useful fastest.
- Concepts — what the platform is, what an LPAR and an address space are, and the difference between batch and online. Two evenings.
- Navigation — TSO logon, ISPF panels, 3.4, and the editor. You cannot learn anything else comfortably until you can move around.
- JCL — the three statements, then DISP properly. This unlocks reading almost everything.
- Reading job output — SDSF, JESMSGLG, and the first-failing-step habit. This is what makes you useful on a team.
- COBOL — read before you write. Work through real programs.
- Then specialise — DB2, CICS or VSAM depending on where you land.
Stuck on something else?
Ask the community or search the full course.