What Are The Highest Paying Enterprise Architecture Jobs?
Enterprise architecture jobs are in demand. The salary matches that demand, with salaries creeping just above $140,000 a year.
A job in enterprise architecture is demanding, but it can be rewarding in salary and in recognition. Companies depend on enterprise architects to align all of the technologies used to run the business with the goals of the business.
If you want to build a career in tech, enterprise architecture is the way to go. There are many jobs that you can take in enterprise architecture.
Read on to discover what they are and how you can start to build your career as an enterprise architect.
Senior Enterprise Architect
A senior enterprise architect is one of the most important roles in a company. This is sometimes called a chief enterprise architect.
The senior enterprise architect understands the business goals and strategy of the organization. They look at how technology helps the organization achieve those goals.
They create and maintain the technology infrastructure in the organization. They ensure that the infrastructure is flexible, so it can be adjusted to meet business goals.
CIO
The chief information officer (CIO) is the top technical job in an organization. The senior enterprise architect usually reports right to the CIO and is next in line for this C-level position.
These roles do have their differences. The CIO focuses on the future. This person is always looking at the future of technology and the role it will play in the organization.
The CIO has the technical expertise and excels in communications. They’re responsible for overseeing all of the technical aspects of the organization, and they frequently communicate with other members of the executive team.
They may make appearances at a few board of directors meetings, in the press, and at high-level meetings in the organization.
Software Architect
Underneath the enterprise architect is the software architect, sometimes called a solution architect. This position has a specific purpose, which is to develop a process or set of processes within the architecture framework.
The software architect is given a project that needs to be completed within a certain framework. They have to meet the business requirements, too.
They develop customized software solutions to meet the needs of the organization. They specialize in certain types of software development programs, such as Python.
Data Architect
A data architect is another role within IT that has a specific purpose. Companies are expected to collect 42% more data a year over the next two years.
These companies may have a ton of data, but they have no idea how to make sense of it. They don’t know how to leverage the data to meet business goals.
The data architect has a unique role because they are the ones that help companies organize all of the data and make it usable.
Cloud Architect
More companies are moving to cloud services because of reduced costs and the ability to access data from anywhere.
A cloud architect works under the enterprise architect. Like the software architect, they are given a framework and business requirements to work in.
They’re responsible for creating the cloud infrastructure given to them by the enterprise architect.
How to Start Your Career as an Enterprise Architect
At this point, you should see a clear career path to become an enterprise architect. You may already have a good track record as a cloud architect, software architect, or data architect.
You can use your area of expertise and take the leap to be an enterprise architect. It does require a different mindset and set of skills.
You have to be sure that you are ready to make those changes. You have to see the entire framework and vision of the organization.
Think of it like you’re playing a game of chess. In chess, you can look at a game through the narrow lens of making one move at a time. This is similar to your narrow role in your IT department because you’re responsible for a specific area.
The chess masters see the entire board. They are able to see how each move builds off of each other and they can anticipate the next moves. This is similar to how an enterprise architect functions in an organization.
Enterprise architects have to be excellent communicators. They need to effectively communicate their vision of the IT infrastructure to the entire IT team. You also have to distill these highly technical concepts and communicate them to other stakeholders in the organization.
They also have to sell ideas to the executive team, starting with the CIO.
Required Training and Education
What kind of education is necessary to be an enterprise architect? At a minimum, a degree in computer science or business is necessary.
Most enterprise architects have degrees in IT, software engineering, computer science, information science, or computer engineering.
They move on to get an enterprise architecture certification. Certification provides the training you need to bridge the gap between business goals and technology.
You don’t need an advanced degree in enterprise architecture. Some people that have a technology background find that an MBA helps them merge business and technology worlds better.
The Top Enterprise Architecture Jobs
The world of enterprise architecture is growing as technology gets aligned with enterprise business goals. It’s a challenge to make these areas work together, and that’s what enterprise architecture jobs do.
How can you land one of the top enterprise architecture jobs? Start by getting the right training and education.
Start off as a data architect, software architect, or cloud architect. You can work your way up to enterprise architect and eventually the CIO.
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