What’s it take to be a Software Architect
Today on twitter, I noticed the following tweet fly-by:
@shanselman @jorgegamba @JuanKRuiz Scott, could you give us your opinion about the steps to be a software Architect?
— Jorge Ramirez (@raptorttk) March 6, 2012
It struck a chord with me. A few years ago I got into an interesting conversation with a Security/Database Architect and a high level Systems Engineer regarding what it means to be a Software (or Systems or Enterprise) Architect. Long-story-short, the Engineer had been burned quite a few times by self-made Architects (think entrenched “Ivory Tower” Architects) while the Security Architect had actually met other Architects with passion, technical know-how, and the desire to truly develop value within their organizations. After a bit of thinking, I came up with the following definition:
Becoming an Architect is an exercise in personal, technical, and professional growth. The role of Architect is multi-faceted and includes disciplines such as: Leadership, Stewardship, Technical Knowledge, Communication, Management, and Planning.
An Architect is a leader, first and foremost. Not a Manager and not a guru. An Architect is someone with the technical knowledge, vision, imagination, and the sense of humor needed to negotiate the difficult path towards the success of a project that may touch every level of an organization.
@raptorttk @kr4ster @shanselman @jorgegamba off course, if you are nineteen could be difficult to (cont) tl.gd/g9nf2b
— Juan Carlos Ruiz (@JuanKRuiz) March 6, 2012
So, can you be an Architect but not touch the technology? No - there’s a reason doctors in the US must go through a residency period. Can you be an Architect and be a guru? Not necessarily – most of the experts I know are “heads-down” developers.
I still think that is a fairly straight-forward definition and would follow it up with the article from Wikipedia: Software Architect. This article from Ted Neward is an especially excellent outline of what it means to be an Architect.
My advice to those seeking to become Architects? Choose a path: Systems, Integration, Software, Enterprise, Database, among many others. Learn, practice, and understand the technologies you are working with. Share that knowledge and express your passion, but do not do so to the exclusion of others’ opinions. Learn what it takes to be a leader. And finally, keep a sense of humor.
Who’s on your networking bucket list?
About three years ago, I decided to get into social networking. No, not Facebook or Twitter. I mean real, live, old-school, networking. I’d like to pretend it was an active decision, but we all know the truth (more on this later). Regardless, I set up a meeting with an old friend, Brian Kelley (web | twitter) — who is a community leader in the Sql Server world (as well as security, youth ministry, and a host of other things) — to get his take on how to get started. He recommended looking into Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi. It’s a great book and a quick read, I’d definitely recommend it. From there, I went on to have a -lot- more lunches, go to more conferences (and host a few), extend a few greetings to people that I’d never have approached in the past.
After while, I realized I needed a little more direction and to set a few goals. I began planning how I would attend a conference and use the resources at-hand. After meeting a few people that I thought I’d never meet in real-life – sometimes completely by accident – I decided to make a list of people that I’d love to have lunch with or otherwise just sit and chat: the Networking Bucket List.
What is a networking bucket list, and why should you care? Anyone who has attended a conference, met with a customer, or even gone to the gym has done some kind of networking. You can’t even go to the store without making contact with at least one person (unless you’re a huge fan of self-checkouts and they -always- work for you). Why not set some goals regarding networking? It’s not hard, and you’d be surprised how something this simple can be incredibly fulfilling and rewarding.
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