Stream: Monaco
Time: 14:15 - 15:00
Most computer science curricula never mention mainframes — yet they run the world's banks, airlines, and insurers. This session is the talk I wish someone had given me before I started: a practical, student's-eye roadmap for breaking into enterprise/mainframe computing with zero prior background. I'll cover how to navigate the learning curve (what to learn first, and what to skip), where to find real project experience through open-source communities like the Open Mainframe Project, how to build a portfolio that resonates with mainframe employers, and the mindset shifts that helped me go from "what even is a mainframe" to contributing code and building learning tools in under a year. This isn't a technical deep-dive — it's an honest, practical playbook for students and early-career engineers wondering whether (and how) to get into this space, drawn from my own path through ambassador programs, open-source contributions, and a mentorship with the Open Mainframe Project.
There is currently no attachment for Zero to Mainframe: A Student's Roadmap to Breaking Into Enterprise Computing
Tushar is a pre-final year Computer Science student (FinTech Honors) at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India, and an IBM Z Student Ambassador and Google Gemini Campus Ambassador. As an LFX Mentee with the Open Mainframe Project's Mainframe Open Education initiative, he built an interactive learning platform featuring a live COBOL sandbox, AI-generated assessments, and automated certification — designed to lower the barrier to entry for students discovering mainframe technology for the first time. He writes regularly about mainframe and enterprise technology on Medium, and is passionate about making enterprise computing approachable for the next generation of engineers.