Bill The COBOLer

About the Book

With the combination of changes in the technology and the economy, the more one is prepared, the better probability for his or her survival. As with many aspects of life, we need to be active participants and not just stand on the sidelines because we get the government and the workplace we deserve. The experiences and how we perceive them make us into the person we currently are, but we do not have to stay static, and we usually never do. We may feel as we did when we were twelve years old, but we do gradually morph into the individual we are now. This book chronicles the many of the periods of technical advances in history.

About the Author

William A. Kennedy (Bill) worked in information technology (IT) for over 40 years observing some of the most dramatic changes in technological growth known to mankind. He worked for many organizations and examined the differences in management styles and cultures. He has always been fascinated in history and it connection to the advancement in technology. Bill was born in Philadelphia, Pa to F. E. Kennedy and F. E. Kennedy a middle class family in North Philadelphia. After high school he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, served in Vietnam as a Hospital Corpsman with the USMC. After active duty, he attended Philadelphia Community College received Associate in Applied Science in Computer Science which enabled him to obtain a position with the Penn Central railroad which became CONRAIL. Around the time CONRAIL was about to be sold to the CSX and the Norfolk Southern was face with finding a new career as a consultant. Being a consultant gave him the opportunity work for and observe the technologies and the operations some of the larger organizations in the United States. During that time he enlisted in the Naval Reserve becoming a weather forecaster eventually being selected as Chief Petty Officer. The Navy provided an opportunity to witness the organizational structure of the military and the technology that provides for the strategic operations throughout the globe critical for the defense of the United States. After retiring from the Navy, Bill obtained a BS in Management and a MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix. Bill has now retired from Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina as a computer analyst. Bill currently lives with his wife of 40 years in South Carolina where they moved from Pennsylvania in 2006. They have two daughters, both grown and now two grandchildren (boy 12 & a girl 14).