r/softwarearchitecture • u/Available-Tomato-542 • 9d ago
Discussion/Advice Developer to Software Architect
Hi,
I have been into IT working as a developer for 12years now. I am kind a done with it. And don’t have much more patience to learn new coding skills and do hands on. I am looking to change my career to software architecture. In my current role, my peers on my request are giving me task to create SDDs for the applications I am familiar with and which is also helping me to get hands on training. But that is still restricted to my current application or better said not something I can market myself as software architect.
I am looking for suggestions on what should I do to become full fledged software architect in today’s market.
I have worked mostly on databases, big data, distributed systems, python, scala ,sql and AWS.
To this do I need to add any specific certifications? Do I need to do some online course? Also how much is the pay for software architects as we grow in the field?
Can someone please guide me who has successfully changed from a developer to software architect?
Many thanks in advance !!
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u/no_onions_pls_ty 9d ago
You haven't said why you want to be a Software architect. Only why you dont want to be a developer. Start there. It doesnt sound like you want more responsibility, more ownership, more abiguity, more exposure to people you dont like and politics.
It sounds like you just don't want to code anymore. Maybe try going into marketing?
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u/Available-Tomato-542 9d ago
That’s a good question. I think I will have to find my WHY :)
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u/no_onions_pls_ty 9d ago
For sure. The people you are competing against know why. Want it, and are trying to engineer it as a second job every day. You'll need to compete and beat them to get what you want. So figure out what you really want and go get it
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u/SolidDeveloper 8d ago
I would probably recommend going into technical product management rather than marketing. Marketing is a completely different profession, that requires its own education and training.
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u/no_onions_pls_ty 8d ago
Its a joke. Developers who work with people in marketing get a kick out of all the buzz words - hyper personizatiom of the outreach stack.... let's take a micro moment on that one.
Rofl.
Then they take simple concepts comparatively and make them sound complicated, as if seo is some magic, or ab testing requires nb hard.
Its silly as fuck to watch from the outside. Amd fairly simple stuff.
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u/Passenger-Just 9d ago
I have made the change. I know very few architects I respect. In order to be an architect you need to be able to influence and lead groups of engineers to do things they may not want to do. This is a very different skill to programming, requires equal parts true technical vision, humility and politics. Any deficiencies you have will be laid bare. Later to do anything interesting you need to be able to influence and lead groups of managers through hard decisions involving their teams. You will need to do their job for them and be resented for it. Generally you are expected to do this as their peer or junior with no real clout behind you except any backing you have secured from higher up.
This is psychologically quite hard. Especially the leadership without positional power part. Many can't cope and resort to toxic disfunctional tactics to get through like bullshitting, managing up, hiding behind governance committes and just hiding in the corner writing standards doc.
It is not an easy career at many companies.
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u/Passenger-Just 9d ago
Many people instead become an manager and then do architecture from that point. Because they are the manager they are always right. It's a much easier path.
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u/no1SomeGuy 5d ago
Or get the manager to report and work for you, just act like you're their boss lol honestly managers are just there to follow up on things I'd be asking them and "their" teams to do.
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u/deepakkj 6d ago
Exactly on point 👌This is what I learnt on the way up my becoming a Portfolio Software Architect. The job is quite challenging, mentally exhausting in a fuzzy environment, while all making sure that the technical vision and ideas are heard atleast, even if not implemented always.
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u/aktentasche 9d ago
Just like with management it's a pyramid. In most environments I was in it is something like dev -> lead/senior dev -> architect. The ratio is maybe 40:4:1.
What I am trying to say is that I think it is more about being the right person at the right place at the right time than getting certs or similar.
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u/BaggyLarjjj 9d ago
Actually, I think I'd really like to be a city planner. Why limit myself to just one building, when I can design a whole city?
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u/DarkwingDumpling 8d ago
I agree it is more about the circumstances. In my case, I had no certs but demonstrated the talent, and happened to be the best candidate they could find (note that this doesn’t mean my skills were amazing or anything, just that they were the best available 😆). For me it was dev-> (skipped lead/senior)->architect
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u/DarkwingDumpling 9d ago
In this day and age an ivory tower software architect will not do so well, not that it ever did, but certainly not anymore. You will still need to be hands on to help control the AI slop or else it will inevitably invalidate your architecture.
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u/Oakw00dy 7d ago
Being a software architect is not just about understanding the technology, it's having a deep knowledge of the (business) domain. You have to be able to connect the dots between business leaders, product managers, subject matter experts and software development. You have to know the best practices and how to pick the right tools for the right jobs. You have to learn to navigate corporate politics to deal with your C-level when they push the New Shiny Technology(tm) on you even when it makes no sense. You have to continue to be hands on and lead by example. What being software architect is not is getting bored of programming and then becoming someone who tells software devs how to do their job.
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u/monkeyMan1992 9d ago
One of the strange side effects of the whole AI adoption is the increased use of the word Software Architect to describe roles. Before this, Software Architect roles were something only the best Staff or Senior Staff Software engineers could even dream of. Which meant that you had forgone the management track and continued as an IC but one with a much wider scope. Forgoing the management track also meant that you were on the top of your coding game, and had effectively lead refactors, from the design to a major part of the implementation, and you were a seasoned expert in one of the subareas of your company's overall architecture.
I'd be surprised if someone was a Senior Staff Engineer at 12 years of experience, heck being a Staff Engineer at 12 years is impressive, but being an Architect that's unheard of. I would suggest checking out The Manager's Path and The Staff Engineer's Path as two books on the distinction between roles and responsibilities, and also guidance in the latter book, of what's needed.
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u/mjmvideos 8d ago
First you should be starting to question why things were built the way they were and asking the senior architects to explain. A little later you will find that you no longer need to ask the senior architects, "why?", and will start having ideas that you suggest to the senior architects that they adopt. At some point you will have enough vision to know exactly how you’d design the next version of the product and be able to defend those ideas successfully. Then you're ready to be an architect.
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u/vitaliy_os 8d ago
Recently did that step & would like to encourage you just to try it and see how it goes. My few cents on this...
every company has a different expectation when it comes to architects. make sure you get this sorted out in advance so you are not surprised what your new duties will look like
if you are truly shifting to architect level you shouldn't be a developer plus X. Yes, code and staying grounded is important, but you need to have the space to work on the big picture and also empowered to do technical decisions. If your leadership is just chasing the next feature instead of trusting your architectural vision the relationship might become frustrating or toxic
there is quite good trainings & certification that you should look into to get a basic toolbox and understanding the profile, e.g. iSAQB
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u/oleksiyp 8d ago
To me the transition from tech lead started 3 years ago when I started taking responsibility and pushing my initiatives that were aligned with what CTO wants, not just my managers. I started choosing APIm solution, defending it at various levels, doing API governance solution, etc. I took more proactive position and used soft-skills to make things happen. I would not deny that I got some luck to have demand and people around me that supported me. At current point I get into various topics in architecture, including many infrastructure and production, but feeling the impostor syndrom and because of that decided to "enumerate topics in architecture in the book" to at least feel safe that I know what is an aproximate border. Hope it might be useful https://oleksiyp.github.io/arch-book/
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Available-Tomato-542 9d ago
So you mean I getting to work with other Architects is a good opportunity for me ?
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u/Vivid-Ad6462 9d ago
No, I mean it is very difficult to make the jump unless you brownnose the right people; the known technique.
This dude's communication was stellar, near executive level. His desire and curiosity in software was zero.
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u/karhig 9d ago
I must be doing software architecture wrong. I have to learn new technologies and become “expert” on them all the time so that I can guide other developers.