Man, this is great! I need to share this with as many HR departments, Hiring Managers, and Recruiters. They need to hear this. A Software Architect is not a defined, well structured role. Beautifully described... And I can definitely appreciate the hands-on developer / architect blended role. If you have these kinds of people in your organization, you are indeed fortunate.
Absolutely spot on - as someone working in the industry, more people need to hear this. Communicating a vision is a rare skill in my experience, translating technical information into standard language is very difficult - mainly because we dont talk about technical stuff day to day - this should change however and devs should speak "devtalk" more often - you would be soft training yourself to be an architect by doing that.
definitely, i feel there are organizarions where its a soft role of management and one where it's a prestige and honor and like you are expected to lead the team correctly and guide. software architects at my company were gods where i cut my teeth. they could sit down and boot in anywhere and make value
I see it 100% the way you explained it. One of my goals was to never become one of the idiots coming from university and knowing nothing about the real business. I'm aiming for software architect. The path I chose was to start in an agency to see as much different software as possible, now I'll change to consulting to get a view of working with customers, while keep coding on my own. Next step will be software architect, maybe with adding a master degree.
Great video Tim! I've worked with a pretty good software architect via 3rd party vendor. Watching him, I've observed that in his role, he has to manage customer expectations taking new requirements and turning them in to sprints for his team to build. His super power is knowing his team well and being to estimate accurately how long the builds and proper testing will take. Over time, the customer and myself have come to really trust his judgement. He's taught me how to support what his team builds. It's been a great long term relationship. He always says, "I don't code" and always sticks to it unless we have a real emergency. :-)
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 - Yes, your description is accurate. Like Tim said, every organization is going to label them something a little different. Just my observations. :-)
Software Architects are exactly like Civil Engineers architects - they design a prototype of what the building will look, than they design the floor plans in more details, like slicing the building and deciding of how rooms will be connected, where a door or sink will be located, etc. They have a more macro vision of the final product and works with the engineers throughout the process and can modify/add/remove features if necessary. They may also decide the material to be used and may define the process and tools to be used in the process.
Thanks for covering this through end to end, Tim. Appreciate taking time to clearly and comprehensively explain this role which is definitely having multiple assumpted definitions by people and companies as you did point out. Looking forward to many more topics like these to be put across clearly for us to understand. Thanks again!
Hey Tim, I fit the bill of having solved problems, built an application myself in a startup, worked on multiple technologies, been a senior developr for a long time, still i don't clear interviews for an Architect. I always come out of the interview thinking i've to learn somany things that i don't know.
Hi Tim, I know 2 people who are software architects, but it still amazes me: 1) SA1 - we started on the same year with the same company, I did analysis and bits of C programming and T-SQL (Sybase that time), nothing big or significant app, more like application support type of role with development, while she was more on the system administration/DBA kind of role. She left after 7 years, I left after 9 years. She did masters, became a manager, then director of a company, but I'm pretty sure she never did any software development. Then 3 months ago, I saw her on LinkedIn, now a Solution Architect working for a big company. So could it be that her project management paid off? 2) SA2 - This guy worked for 6 years as IT consultant/desktop support for 3 companies, no software development experience commercially, then suddenly became a Solution Architect in our company 6 years ago until he resigned this month. Could be another project management skills in play there somewhere? I had the impression that being a software architect requires one to be a senior level developer, then progress to that role next. The 2 examples above goes to show that luck, risk, courage and probably communication could be the ingredients to being an SA? I don't understand how they managed to do it! How can you architect a system when you haven't been exposed to development tools and process?
Talk to them and other Solution Architects. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Ask them those questions. Get to know what they actually do each day vs what you think they do. I think you will find some surprising answers.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 No, I don't want to appear nosey on their careers. I found a good article about a solutions architect though: www.leanix.net/en/blog/the-path-from-developer-to-solutions-architect
Hi Tim, When I started learning from you I am working on my project in that duration, I learned how to follow best practices from you. Now freelancing on Upwork and got a medium size project, my client was frustrated with the codes and delay, then he tried me he appreciated the work a lot. I did it but I strongly feels half of credit goes to this channel! Thanks for making such a great channel for C# programmers!
@@IAmTimCorey Let me explain a bit other programmmers are like using C# 7.3 and facing difficulties with C# 9 and I am like facing difficulties in 7.3. Example define record its not available, write switch expression ... oh! its not available in c# 7.3 Write "is not null" Oh ! ... again ! not available in C# 7.3. and So many other things
I did software architecture work as a self-employed individual and called myself a "computer consultant" -- it was easier for non-technical people to understand. I still got asked a lot what I did, however.
I've been successful as a software architect. This is very good. ... Many good developers just cannot see the big picture. They are great developers, but just don't have the vision. I always have.
Maybe too big a follow-up question(s) for this space, but in the event that you end up in a role like this, do you still need to have in depth knowledge of specific technologies and how do you keep your skills in the detailed aspects sharp?
My thoughts (not Tim's) from having been there, done that... study the industry, new tech and your company, prototype solutions and learn from others. Architects are focused on the Big Picture so they have to anticipate issues and future needs of the company. You have to understand technologies, but you are not the expert in every new tech. Also, you have to work with architects/developers from other applications/areas of IT in the company to future proof and align technologies, tools and coding languages. Architects often work as must with the business side of the company as with IT to understand where the company is headed. "Prototype", that can be lingo for architects that play with new tech and slap together messy code to prove out ways of solving a problem. Be sure to clean up your code before sharing it with developers. It helps protect your credibility.
Hi Tim, thanks for the great video as always. You explained that a software architect is responsible for designing the big picture of an application, which made me wonder if being a software architect is something that's ever done as a full-time job or if it's typically combined with other responsibilities. I can imagine that an architect has lots of work to do when their company/team needs to build a new application, but once the architecture has been decided upon and the app is in development, I'd imagine they don't have as much to do until the company/team needs to start a new project again. So are there actually people who do software architecture full-time? Or is it more common that they are also part of a development team or that they are also a manager, like in the examples you mentioned?
If you are in a very small company that only builds one application at a time, than you are right and having an architect multitasking would be the norm. Larger companies that have multiple developments occurring at the same time can keep an architect quite busy.
Tim, what are your opinions of the TOGAF and AWS/Azure Solution Architect certifications for someone who has done some software development over the years? I come from a desktop development background, been transitioning to web. I do have years of software development experience, but never got an official education , I was self-taught. Anyhow, TOGAF seems to really enforce problem-solving, a unified diagram model and implementing business solutions using a scientific kind of approach. Basically, a standard that helps simplify and identify problems and building systems. I am still trying to learn more about TOGAF. Many say, learning the principles of TOGAF is more important than the certification itself.
Thanks for the great podcast. How do you dal with ever changing database schema design once the application has already been deployed to some customers? It's a bit difficult to design a website with all tables with columns needed. When you add new features to your software, sometimes you need to change the database, add some few columns to existing tables or even add new tables. This get really messy when an application is already deployed with customer data, sometimes you need to add new primary key columns. How do you deal effectively with this?
That is the whole point of Object-Oriented, separate the business logic away from the transport of the data layer such that whether the data is coming from a database or through web API call no longer matter.
@@StudentCompanion "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I believe your career is all database centric works. I don't think there is an easy way to make you suddenly think out of the box. An example problem and two different solutions, a company with 100 employees need to have access to petty cash. 1. database centric approach(implementation based)--100 employees learn where the cash is stored and the procedures to fetch the cash if needed. Problem solved for now but later on when the cash storage needs to be relocated for whatever reason or the fund depleted. 100 employees will need to relearn everything all over again. 2. object-oriented approach(interface based)--either hire a person or build an ATM machine, 100 employees only need to learn to use the interface atm.getMoney(20.00), the details of where the cash is stored or how the ATM works does not matter. If the ATM is running out of fund and to to transfer money from another account does not matter to the 100 employees. This approach will cause more at the beginning but will be far more reliable in the long run. This is just the different nature of the mind set between developer and architect. Developer think of solving the problem as directly as efficiently as possible. Architect think of future expansion, maintain and will create layers.
Respectfully, extroverted over introverted people as managers is a stereotype. Many extroverts can command the center of attention to the detriment of hearing out their team's ideas. I believe a more precise evaluation of management would be to look at the differences of being passive, dominating, or assertive. I suggest that great listeners, which many introverts tend to do better at then extroverts, paired with assertiveness, which many extroverts tend to do better than introverts, makes a great combination for a team leader and are skills most people can develop.
I am reminded of the Peter Principle: businesses promote individuals to the level of their incompetence. In other words, competent people keep getting promoted until they reach a position where they are no longer competent, and then stagnate. It’s always one promotion too many.
Yep. Part of that comes from associating the next level up with more money. Instead of offering a senior developer more money because they have become more valuable, we promote them to get them that raise. Unfortunately, the new position often requires a different set of skills.
15:20 A "wise" man once said "Assumptions are the mother of all f*ckups". I kinda like that statement. No matter how lucky you are.. If you assume everything you will eventually fail.
As system design =>design infrastructure of projects such what is requirement for streaming environments Software architecture =>architect software such as prepared software for specific problem example let assume we have projects that 50% of class auto generated The goal for software architect to create the way allow programmer to write code without write in same class that auto generate created
I have been doing various database designs (ERD, relational) for the past few years. Especially in business related matters such as Purchase Order, LC (Letter of Credit), General Ledger etc. I have done the work. Also I have experience in setting up links to different parts of a software. I have experience in how business logic interacts with software and I enjoy this work more than coding. Can I go the path of software architect?
Hi Tim, what are you thoughts on someone like me 40 yr old with Cloud Infrastructure Architect learning Software Development? I can connect with you offline if that helps.
You wany want to consider watching this blog post from Tim. He attempts to generically address things related to that question. - ruclips.net/video/BaeHxxhc58A/видео.html. Video name is - "Does Age Matter In Development? How Old Is Too Old To Be A C# Developer?"
Tim, as always, you nailed the explanation perfectly. Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing recruiters use the term in a way that is not true to the position.
I recently started new project as Architect from TechLead(and Lead Engineer) for about 6 years at only current company. I think most of senior level developers are already doing kind of Architect so it is so natural they become Architect. I could not imagine how other carrier path allows them to be Architect. I have all of certification of AWS, The vendor may push non-developer path people becomes Architect. I wish I could be the Architect when i was freshman, but i had to stay on developer because the supervisor did not assign me as junior Architect. Is there Junior Architect? i have not heard the things. It would show why the title requires experience.
Experience is really important to being able to understand good architecture. I would not be a fan of non-developers becoming architects. As for junior architect, it depends on the company. Job titles and roles aren't standardized. Every company does things differently.
architects should also explore technologies, and most importantly implement the difficult portions as a prototyoe so the team doesnt get lost interfacing (how do the pieces talk) and high level data modeling and any testing paradigms imo
As you're aware, going into management positions is often considered the next step by many, but I wonder, if that kind of position isn't a good for someone, what would be their next step to progress?
How do you define progress? If you only define it as the next level up, then yes, you are stuck going into management or not progressing. However, if you define it as more pay, better hours, better work environment, etc. then you can get that by either staying at a company that recognizes your work or you can move between companies as your skills improve.
Mostly the software architects job is to overcomplicate things so much that nobody else can understand them, and then vehemently claim that the overcomplication is objectively better because it is "more maintainable", and so therefore necessary. He thereby justifies his own existence, when in actuality the program performs no better as a result of his machinations, and the main result of his "more maintainable" code is that nobody other than him can understand or maintain it.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 Nope computer programmer is fine with me. Whenever these architects start talking I just get a glazed looked in my eyes and then ask them repeatedly to explain their idea again and again like a broken record until they just give up, and then I proceed to do things my way anyways and it works out just fine.
No Greg, that's wrong. Seems you had bad experience in one of your previous job with someone labeled as "architect", but that's not the way it is. Corey just explained it
So does software architecture have anything to do do with regular architecture? I'm 16 and want to be a software architect one day but I thought it was related to regular architecture
By "regular" architecture, I'm assuming you mean architects who create the designs for buildings. If so then no, software architects do not have any relationship with those architects.
Wtf is this idea that developers are introverts? Anywho, very good points. You cant't get the characteristics straight if you don't know the detailed business requirements. You can't make an educated guess on the structure if you don't know the characteristics. The build process and the application architecture is rather impossible without the structure. Or you could just wing it on the idea of maximum flexibility but that ends up being expensive and unmarketable.
can you do in the future a series about data sctruc and algo with c# please and tnx a lot i am struggling to learn it but there is no one better than you to do it once again tnx a lot for your help
Hi Tim, what are your thoughts on blockchain development? Is it going to be the next big thing? Do you think c# developers should invest some time to learn it? I would like to know your response on this. Thanks
Sometimes you are a junior developer who comes up with an application idea to help improve efficiency, and your team lead tells you to build it, and they let you take the reins entirely.
Yes, but that is not an architect role. As an architect, I often found these little one-off programs and had to stop them. Example: say the Jr Dev uses a trial verson of a new tool/framework for the development and it is not in line with the company direction. Who will maintain it five yrs from now? Say the company uses C# but the Jr Dev builds the tool in Java. Long term that will cost the company far more to maintain then if he used C# from the start. Architects have to be big picture and that means sometimes playing IT cop and enforcing 'standards'.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 Hi Tom, we had an architect worked for our team for 2.5 years, from being a developer somewhere. His role with our company was the first time being an architect. He proposed we replace all SPs and inline SQL in our system with EF, and went to implement 40% of it. The system was crawling, hard to debug where's the data piping through from DB, basically a mess. He left and was so proud of his work with a grin, having "implemented" an EF upgrade project. A year after he left, we started removing ALL instances of EF from our system, and took us 2 years because we can't do it fully and had to remove bits by bits every sprint. The guy is still an architect somewhere in Melbourne, good luck to them.
@@STUPIDRUclips_HIDINGMSGS I have seen similar. Someone defines a pet project and no one knows enough or has the courage enough to challenge the plan. Millions of $$ and many hours lost, but the person moves on claiming a huge 'victory' under their belt. I succeeded in challenging a couple of them in the past but I got labeled a rebel. I had to rest in my own knowledge that I saved the company lots of pain and money, even if a few else saw it. Note: make sure your boss, at least, understands why you are pushing back.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 LOL at being labeled a 'rebel'! It's like you're talking about me! I discussed the proposed implementation with manager during the project, the challenges we developers were facing, and the performance of the system in general. I was so frustrated that time, being given a hard time by the architect whenever there are minor changes to DB schema, etc, that I almost quit the job. The manager has total belief in the architect given that it's the manager's first role as a software dev manager (coming from an integration project manager role in the same company) and he handpicked that architect, so no contest for me, I was a 'rebel'. But 2 years after the architect left, the manager although with a bit of sarcasm or probably a bitter pill to swallow for him to admit it, sometimes mentions in our scrum meetings that I've proven him wrong about that EF implementation, but I don't take credit for it. It was his decision anyway!
It's not about technology, it's how to meet the non functional requirements eventually , like performance, scale , deployment, high availability and maintainability. And lots of talking and meeting to let others understand what you try to achieve.
You always explore Microsoft Tech. But how can we compare best of the market vs Microsoft? For example, Azure and AWS. I have followed all your Azure related videos and those videos are best. But how can I go with Azure without comparing it with other best in the market.
I'll probably do a comparison at some point, but unless the pricing is a major difference (and usually Azure is a bit cheaper apples for apples) then it comes down to which one you feel more comfortable with and which one has the features you want. I've personally found the AWS marketplace to be more confusing as far as naming goes and more unforgiving when it comes to billing issues, which is why I stick to Azure.
No, I don't have the time to be messaging and talking with subscribers. There are just too many of you. I do my best to communicate as frequently as possible here on RUclips, but adding another communication mechanism would just mean that everyone sees me less.
It definitely seems pretty stupid hiring someone to work as an architect who hasn't worked on their own projects in the field before. Think project management is cool but if you don't understand what issues can come up you are going to have serious blindspots. One thing I've always been weak at is designing my software upfront, I end up throwing stuff together trying out theories and then changing my mind constant rather than designing it out upfront and building from the designs (probably because I don't mirror people's stuff, I try to mix concepts to see how they come together). I never worked in a structured organization before to see how they do it but I also don't see much out there showing how to organize larger projects, just how to build structured processes.
I have two larger projects here on RUclips (Tournament Tracker and TimCo Retail Manager) that can help you see how to architect and organize a larger project. Basically, it takes practice, like you pointed out. It is also subjective to the project in a lot of areas, which makes learning how to do it harder.
@@IAmTimCorey I appreciate the reply. I understand some design patterns, concepts like MVC, refactoring and unit testing but when it comes to designing a decent sized project with multiple subsystems where everything is well planned out I find it difficult to make sure I get everything without getting lost in the weeds. By the way, one project I'm interested in working on is trying to reverse engineer a service desk to create checklists for all the typical things that would need to be collected in the future for onboarding new clients based on prior experiences. This basically involves multiple systems that access other systems that reference other systems. I'm not aware of the best system to plan something like this out. You aware of anything like this?
As an Architect (the real kind) please stop appropriating our (licensed) profession. Every state in the U.S. bases their rigorous licensing process on a national standard of 6 different half-day examinations (averaging a 50% pass rate), and thousands of hours of directly overseen apprenticeship. Some states, like California, throw in an extra exam to cover circumstances unique to their jurisdiction, like seismic design. There a multiple points in this video that illustrate the cartoonish oversimplification of our legally protected title. @2:32 "Think of Architecture in general...what do they do...they may not get into the weeds of where do you put outlets..." - YES WE DO. Outlets, light fixtures, thermostats, wall switches, all of it. By and large, we use consultants to produce electrical drawings for us, but we are constantly vetting their drawings and making adjustments based on a combination of design sense and code compliance that we are ultimately responsible for. We have additional diagrams that we produce (not the electrical consultants) in the drawing set, which detail out *precisely* how outlets and more should be installed in regular walls, behind/within/beside/beneath countertops, what minimum and maximum spacing should be used, heights above floor lines - All. Of. It. If I need a hole in a countertop for a cable pass through, you'd better believe I'm calling out the diameter of the hole, and the color and material of grommet that needs to go into that hole. While at the same time considering the sheen of paint that's going on the wall and baseboard below, and how it will interact with the light on a cloudy autumn afternoon. @5:33 "Design Skills...when it comes to laying out not UI design, but your application design..." - real architects DO focus on the user experience in terms of beauty, aesthetics, emotion, etc. *in addition to* the overall layout of spaces, coordinating HVAC ducts with structure, and more. "Architecture" is not just big picture, broad brush ideas as the IT world (and more) seems to think. It is a far, far longer and deeper process of first establishing those ideas (generally done quickly in a few meetings over weeks or a couple months) and then translating those into a fully fleshed out volume of construction documents over the course of months or even years. Not to mention then overseeing the actual construction over several more months (or years). This delusion that you think you know enough about real Architecture to say that you do something similar is catastrophic to our industry. It cheapens and waters down the intense mountain of work and countless considerations and decisions that we make throughout the process.
OK, let's talk this through. First, I said architects "may not get into the weeds of where do you put outlets". You said you sometimes use consultants but that you vet their drawings. That would be the definition of not always getting into the weeds, but instead managing those who do. Then you pointed out the design skills, but at that point I was not using the illustration at all but talking about software architects vs senior developers. Second, no one is appropriating your profession. No one expects that a software architect can also design buildings. That's like expecting a doctor of English to be able to do surgery. In the software development industry, the term software architect is a common title. If you go to Indeed, you will see thousands of jobs with that title ( www.indeed.com/jobs?q=software+architect&l=remote&from=searchOnHP&redirected=1&vjk=306f6a0fb232fffb ). The world is too big to not have some word reuse. For instance, the term captain used to mean the person in charge of a ship. Now it could be an airline pilot, a military rank, or a person on a team. That does not mean that one can do the other or that one is appropriating the title from another. I get that we don't want to confuse people or cheapen the work of one field in another. However, that's not what is happening here. People aren't going to insist on bringing the requirements for being a software architect to your field. If another industry using a similar term to yours is "catastrophic" to your industry, you must already be at an incredibly fragile state. That seems more to do with you than with us. I get that you are proud of your accomplishment of becoming an architect (rightly so). It is a big deal and it is definitely a needed role in the construction industry. I would encourage you, though, to not see others in other fields as your enemies.
@@IAmTimCorey "No one expects that a software architect can also design buildings" - the issue isn't that people are asking IT techs to design buildings, it's that they're requiring us to design ever faster and cheaper because they think that there's not much to the process, due to perceived simplification of the title. If one firm stands their ground and says they can't do it faster or cheaper, the client may move on to find a hungry, less reputable firm or person who will - and with or without their knowledge - cut corners that ultimately cost more. But by then it's too late, construction or occupancy issues are surfacing, companies are suing each other, and the overall perception of our industry is diminished and the damage is done. Certain areas within the practice of Architecture (most notably multifamily apartment developments) are becoming a race to the bottom driven by developers who see the term "Architect" being spread so thin that they think we are pencil-pushing drafting monkeys who don't do anything other than what they tell us, and that the design just happens. "That's like expecting a doctor of English to be able to do surgery." - Not really, because there's a very specific word that they use to distinguish their expertise - "Surgeon". And if you've ever spoken with someone who's obtained an academic doctorate, they're generally quick to point out when introducing themselves that it's not a medical degree. At that level of semantics, I don't think you can compare Architect/Doctor, or Architect/Captain. It would be more like "Designer". That's a good, broad, nebulous term that can be ethically stretched to a cover a broad number of endeavors. 'Architect' is not. Why can't you be a Software Designer? It's still a distinctly different term from 'UX/UI Designer' or 'Digital Artist'. "If you go to Indeed, you will see thousands of jobs with that title" - Precisely. Therein lies a huge pain point for everyone in my field coming out of school (or a layoff) and trying to find a job. Every time I've been in a position to search for employment, I've had to wade through a majority of completely inapplicable job postings because there's no way to filter for "Architect with qualifiers or adjectives". Meanwhile, one can search for "Systems Architect" or "Information Architect" or "Software Architect" or "Network Architect" without ever running into a single A/E/C industry listing. Additionally, without any action on my part, I've been occasionally inundated with recruiters cold-calling and messaging me because they think I'll be a 'good fit' for an opportunity with a tech firm. The broadening use of the term has created real and tangible drawbacks for me. "you must already be at an incredibly fragile state" - honestly, yes, for a handful of other reasons, the Architecture industry is having difficulty devoting the time and energy to communicating our relevancy (internally, and to the general public), supporting existing Architects, adequately training the next generation, and encouraging people to get into the field. This is just one more thorn in the side, and it's becoming an increasingly painful one. It's definitely hurting, not helping. Watching people co-opt the term into their industry as a step in their job ladder, while I spent over a decade training through dozens of very specific courses to earn multiple *required* degrees (a bachelors degree is practically worthless on its own), studying for and passing exhausting professional exams, and clawing for diverse enough experience to round out my education, so that I can finally earn the legally protected right to use that title for the rest of my working career - is some of the worst kind of demoralization I've experienced in my life. Just because those of you in the IT world don't see or feel the effect you're having, doesn't mean it's not happening.
I can empathize with what you are saying, but I think you are misguided in your "blame". It would not matter if the term architect was never used outside of your field. People would still want designs faster and cheaper. That's just the nature of the industry. The same is true in software development, graphic design, general construction, etc. I was looking to get pricing for a pool and I was reading reviews. There were multiple reviews that were upset because the pool installation tool more than a couple weeks or because there was a "mess" during construction. Unreasonable timeframes, a lack of value on what people do, etc. are all common to every industry.
Sometimes, that is necessary. Planning before you build and all. Sometimes, it becomes a bad thing, though, when it does not lead to clarity and action.
Man, this is great! I need to share this with as many HR departments, Hiring Managers, and Recruiters. They need to hear this. A Software Architect is not a defined, well structured role. Beautifully described... And I can definitely appreciate the hands-on developer / architect blended role. If you have these kinds of people in your organization, you are indeed fortunate.
I'm glad you found it valuable.
Absolutely spot on - as someone working in the industry, more people need to hear this. Communicating a vision is a rare skill in my experience, translating technical information into standard language is very difficult - mainly because we dont talk about technical stuff day to day - this should change however and devs should speak "devtalk" more often - you would be soft training yourself to be an architect by doing that.
definitely, i feel there are organizarions where its a soft role of management and one where it's a prestige and honor and like you are expected to lead the team correctly and guide.
software architects at my company were gods where i cut my teeth. they could sit down and boot in anywhere and make value
I see it 100% the way you explained it. One of my goals was to never become one of the idiots coming from university and knowing nothing about the real business. I'm aiming for software architect. The path I chose was to start in an agency to see as much different software as possible, now I'll change to consulting to get a view of working with customers, while keep coding on my own.
Next step will be software architect, maybe with adding a master degree.
That is a solid plan from a guy that 'gets it'.
Great video Tim! I've worked with a pretty good software architect via 3rd party vendor. Watching him, I've observed that in his role, he has to manage customer expectations taking new requirements and turning them in to sprints for his team to build. His super power is knowing his team well and being to estimate accurately how long the builds and proper testing will take. Over time, the customer and myself have come to really trust his judgement. He's taught me how to support what his team builds. It's been a great long term relationship. He always says, "I don't code" and always sticks to it unless we have a real emergency. :-)
That sounds more like a GREAT team lead with parts of SCRUM Manager and Product Owner thrown in.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 - Yes, your description is accurate. Like Tim said, every organization is going to label them something a little different. Just my observations. :-)
"Assumptions are bad!" - what a bad experience I have with bad assumptions! Great video, Tim.
Thanks for growing your skills with this video, at least I assume you are. 😀
This was really good information! So much to learn, see, and do!!! Thank you ☺👍
You are welcome.
Software Architects are exactly like Civil Engineers architects - they design a prototype of what the building will look, than they design the floor plans in more details, like slicing the building and deciding of how rooms will be connected, where a door or sink will be located, etc. They have a more macro vision of the final product and works with the engineers throughout the process and can modify/add/remove features if necessary. They may also decide the material to be used and may define the process and tools to be used in the process.
Thanks for sharing that insight.
Kevin James is completely right.
Never thought good ol' doug could become a developer. Carry must be so proud^^
@@KeyboardKrieger Maybe now they can finally go to Manhatten and live there. Danny can replace Douglas to do the job for IPS.
Thanks for covering this through end to end, Tim. Appreciate taking time to clearly and comprehensively explain this role which is definitely having multiple assumpted definitions by people and companies as you did point out. Looking forward to many more topics like these to be put across clearly for us to understand. Thanks again!
You are welcome.
Hey Tim, I fit the bill of having solved problems, built an application myself in a startup, worked on multiple technologies, been a senior developr for a long time, still i don't clear interviews for an Architect. I always come out of the interview thinking i've to learn somany things that i don't know.
Nicely explained what a software architect is and does!
Thanks!
Hi Tim, I know 2 people who are software architects, but it still amazes me:
1) SA1 - we started on the same year with the same company, I did analysis and bits of C programming and T-SQL (Sybase that time), nothing big or significant app, more like application support type of role with development, while she was more on the system administration/DBA kind of role. She left after 7 years, I left after 9 years. She did masters, became a manager, then director of a company, but I'm pretty sure she never did any software development. Then 3 months ago, I saw her on LinkedIn, now a Solution Architect working for a big company. So could it be that her project management paid off?
2) SA2 - This guy worked for 6 years as IT consultant/desktop support for 3 companies, no software development experience commercially, then suddenly became a Solution Architect in our company 6 years ago until he resigned this month. Could be another project management skills in play there somewhere?
I had the impression that being a software architect requires one to be a senior level developer, then progress to that role next. The 2 examples above goes to show that luck, risk, courage and probably communication could be the ingredients to being an SA? I don't understand how they managed to do it! How can you architect a system when you haven't been exposed to development tools and process?
Talk to them and other Solution Architects. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Ask them those questions. Get to know what they actually do each day vs what you think they do. I think you will find some surprising answers.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 No, I don't want to appear nosey on their careers. I found a good article about a solutions architect though: www.leanix.net/en/blog/the-path-from-developer-to-solutions-architect
Hi Tim,
When I started learning from you I am working on my project in that duration, I learned how to follow best practices from you. Now freelancing on Upwork and got a medium size project, my client was frustrated with the codes and delay, then he tried me he appreciated the work a lot. I did it but I strongly feels half of credit goes to this channel!
Thanks for making such a great channel for C# programmers!
I am glad my content was so helpful.
@@IAmTimCorey
Let me explain a bit other programmmers are like using C# 7.3 and facing difficulties with C# 9 and I am like facing difficulties in 7.3. Example define record its not available, write switch expression ... oh! its not available in c# 7.3
Write "is not null" Oh ! ... again ! not available in C# 7.3. and So many other things
@@IAmTimCorey Videos on Solid and DRY can make any intermediate programmer to a pro programmer
I did software architecture work as a self-employed individual and called myself a "computer consultant" -- it was easier for non-technical people to understand. I still got asked a lot what I did, however.
Thanks for sharing!
I agree with your view, well articulated
Thank you!
I've been successful as a software architect. This is very good. ... Many good developers just cannot see the big picture. They are great developers, but just don't have the vision. I always have.
Maybe too big a follow-up question(s) for this space, but in the event that you end up in a role like this, do you still need to have in depth knowledge of specific technologies and how do you keep your skills in the detailed aspects sharp?
My thoughts (not Tim's) from having been there, done that... study the industry, new tech and your company, prototype solutions and learn from others. Architects are focused on the Big Picture so they have to anticipate issues and future needs of the company. You have to understand technologies, but you are not the expert in every new tech.
Also, you have to work with architects/developers from other applications/areas of IT in the company to future proof and align technologies, tools and coding languages. Architects often work as must with the business side of the company as with IT to understand where the company is headed.
"Prototype", that can be lingo for architects that play with new tech and slap together messy code to prove out ways of solving a problem. Be sure to clean up your code before sharing it with developers. It helps protect your credibility.
Thanks for making me understand! This fix me very well
You are welcome.
"Cool, Cool. Do Your Thing". lol
Knowledge with humor. Perfect way to open your mind.
Tim does to seem to be a very good teacher.
My question is finally answered ! :D Thanks Man.
Excellent!
wow
so nice to find this Person, what an Amazing Teacher
Thank you!
Hi Tim, thanks for the great video as always. You explained that a software architect is responsible for designing the big picture of an application, which made me wonder if being a software architect is something that's ever done as a full-time job or if it's typically combined with other responsibilities. I can imagine that an architect has lots of work to do when their company/team needs to build a new application, but once the architecture has been decided upon and the app is in development, I'd imagine they don't have as much to do until the company/team needs to start a new project again. So are there actually people who do software architecture full-time? Or is it more common that they are also part of a development team or that they are also a manager, like in the examples you mentioned?
My two cents: I would say It varies widely. But I prefer architects who have one foot in hands-on development and one foot in design.
If you are in a very small company that only builds one application at a time, than you are right and having an architect multitasking would be the norm. Larger companies that have multiple developments occurring at the same time can keep an architect quite busy.
Tim, what are your opinions of the TOGAF and AWS/Azure Solution Architect certifications for someone who has done some software development over the years? I come from a desktop development background, been transitioning to web. I do have years of software development experience, but never got an official education , I was self-taught. Anyhow, TOGAF seems to really enforce problem-solving, a unified diagram model and implementing business solutions using a scientific kind of approach. Basically, a standard that helps simplify and identify problems and building systems. I am still trying to learn more about TOGAF. Many say, learning the principles of TOGAF is more important than the certification itself.
Thank you
You are welcome.
Thanks for the great podcast.
How do you dal with ever changing database schema design once the application has already been deployed to some customers?
It's a bit difficult to design a website with all tables with columns needed. When you add new features to your software, sometimes you need to change the database, add some few columns to existing tables or even add new tables. This get really messy when an application is already deployed with customer data, sometimes you need to add new primary key columns. How do you deal effectively with this?
That is the whole point of Object-Oriented, separate the business logic away from the transport of the data layer such that whether the data is coming from a database or through web API call no longer matter.
@@adamc1694 I'm not referring to the actual database connection but the structure of the database changing.
@@StudentCompanion "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I believe your career is all database centric works. I don't think there is an easy way to make you suddenly think out of the box.
An example problem and two different solutions, a company with 100 employees need to have access to petty cash.
1. database centric approach(implementation based)--100 employees learn where the cash is stored and the procedures to fetch the cash if needed. Problem solved for now but later on when the cash storage needs to be relocated for whatever reason or the fund depleted. 100 employees will need to relearn everything all over again.
2. object-oriented approach(interface based)--either hire a person or build an ATM machine, 100 employees only need to learn to use the interface atm.getMoney(20.00), the details of where the cash is stored or how the ATM works does not matter. If the ATM is running out of fund and to to transfer money from another account does not matter to the 100 employees. This approach will cause more at the beginning but will be far more reliable in the long run.
This is just the different nature of the mind set between developer and architect. Developer think of solving the problem as directly as efficiently as possible. Architect think of future expansion, maintain and will create layers.
Respectfully, extroverted over introverted people as managers is a stereotype. Many extroverts can command the center of attention to the detriment of hearing out their team's ideas. I believe a more precise evaluation of management would be to look at the differences of being passive, dominating, or assertive. I suggest that great listeners, which many introverts tend to do better at then extroverts, paired with assertiveness, which many extroverts tend to do better than introverts, makes a great combination for a team leader and are skills most people can develop.
Good as always!
Thanks for watching!
I am reminded of the Peter Principle: businesses promote individuals to the level of their incompetence. In other words, competent people keep getting promoted until they reach a position where they are no longer competent, and then stagnate. It’s always one promotion too many.
Yep. Part of that comes from associating the next level up with more money. Instead of offering a senior developer more money because they have become more valuable, we promote them to get them that raise. Unfortunately, the new position often requires a different set of skills.
15:20 A "wise" man once said "Assumptions are the mother of all f*ckups". I kinda like that statement. No matter how lucky you are.. If you assume everything you will eventually fail.
Yep, assumptions can be killer.
That's why physics is fuckups 😂😂😂
I feel I'm a software arquiTech.
How far an arquitech is from a CTO?
As system design =>design infrastructure of projects such what is requirement for streaming environments
Software architecture =>architect software such as prepared software for specific problem example let assume we have projects that 50% of class auto generated
The goal for software architect to create the way allow programmer to write code without write in same class that auto generate created
I think that is putting the architect role as too small. An architect is (should be) focused on far more than a single application.
Great video Tim, I think that a good architect needs a very particular set of skills, and is a rare find.
I agree with that!
I have been doing various database designs (ERD, relational) for the past few years. Especially in business related matters such as Purchase Order, LC (Letter of Credit), General Ledger etc. I have done the work. Also I have experience in setting up links to different parts of a software. I have experience in how business logic interacts with software and I enjoy this work more than coding. Can I go the path of software architect?
Hi Tim, what are you thoughts on someone like me 40 yr old with Cloud Infrastructure Architect learning Software Development? I can connect with you offline if that helps.
You wany want to consider watching this blog post from Tim. He attempts to generically address things related to that question. - ruclips.net/video/BaeHxxhc58A/видео.html. Video name is - "Does Age Matter In Development? How Old Is Too Old To Be A C# Developer?"
Thanks Tim
You are welcome.
Tim, as always, you nailed the explanation perfectly. Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing recruiters use the term in a way that is not true to the position.
I have also seen the title so freely distributed that it lost all meaning.
I recently started new project as Architect from TechLead(and Lead Engineer) for about 6 years at only current company. I think most of senior level developers are already doing kind of Architect so it is so natural they become Architect. I could not imagine how other carrier path allows them to be Architect. I have all of certification of AWS, The vendor may push non-developer path people becomes Architect. I wish I could be the Architect when i was freshman, but i had to stay on developer because the supervisor did not assign me as junior Architect. Is there Junior Architect? i have not heard the things. It would show why the title requires experience.
Experience is really important to being able to understand good architecture. I would not be a fan of non-developers becoming architects. As for junior architect, it depends on the company. Job titles and roles aren't standardized. Every company does things differently.
Thanks!
Thank you!
I strongly recommend reading System Design Interview by Alex Xu.
Thanks for sharing
architects should also explore technologies, and most importantly implement the difficult portions as a prototyoe so the team doesnt get lost
interfacing (how do the pieces talk) and high level data modeling and any testing paradigms
imo
Great!
As you're aware, going into management positions is often considered the next step by many, but I wonder, if that kind of position isn't a good for someone, what would be their next step to progress?
It depends on the person. Sometimes, just staying where they are at in development is the right choice.
@IAmTimCorey are there no options for someone who'd rather avoid management but progress in their career then?
How do you define progress? If you only define it as the next level up, then yes, you are stuck going into management or not progressing. However, if you define it as more pay, better hours, better work environment, etc. then you can get that by either staying at a company that recognizes your work or you can move between companies as your skills improve.
Mostly the software architects job is to overcomplicate things so much that nobody else can understand them, and then vehemently claim that the overcomplication is objectively better because it is "more maintainable", and so therefore necessary. He thereby justifies his own existence, when in actuality the program performs no better as a result of his machinations, and the main result of his "more maintainable" code is that nobody other than him can understand or maintain it.
So being a software architect is not your career goal? 😀
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 Nope computer programmer is fine with me. Whenever these architects start talking I just get a glazed looked in my eyes and then ask them repeatedly to explain their idea again and again like a broken record until they just give up, and then I proceed to do things my way anyways and it works out just fine.
@@greg1486 LOL - Love it
No Greg, that's wrong. Seems you had bad experience in one of your previous job with someone labeled as "architect", but that's not the way it is. Corey just explained it
bro where have u been, it is so cool
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks
You are welcome.
what do we do after the senior developer stage
Continue to improve.
So does software architecture have anything to do do with regular architecture? I'm 16 and want to be a software architect one day but I thought it was related to regular architecture
By "regular" architecture, I'm assuming you mean architects who create the designs for buildings. If so then no, software architects do not have any relationship with those architects.
Wtf is this idea that developers are introverts?
Anywho, very good points. You cant't get the characteristics straight if you don't know the detailed business requirements. You can't make an educated guess on the structure if you don't know the characteristics. The build process and the application architecture is rather impossible without the structure. Or you could just wing it on the idea of maximum flexibility but that ends up being expensive and unmarketable.
Not all developers, but it is a stereotype for a reason.
Could you do a dev questions video about whether nested classes should be used?
I added it to his list of suggestions for consideration.
can you do in the future a series about data sctruc and algo with c#
please and tnx a lot i am struggling to learn it but there is no one better than you to do it
once again tnx a lot for your help
I added it to Tim's list for topics to consider. Thanks for recommending it.
I agree on everything
Thanks for sharing
You are great, use some presentation please. It will help us to understand every points easily
I think he is moving that direction. We need to keep working on him.
Hi Tim, what are your thoughts on blockchain development? Is it going to be the next big thing? Do you think c# developers should invest some time to learn it? I would like to know your response on this. Thanks
I love this question. I hope you don't mind, I put this on his list of viewer suggestions for videos.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 Please do. I passionate about the blockchain topic.
I'm still proud thyself as a mechanical engineer.
Great!
Jesus... I want to be Tim Corey.
You can be at least like me if you work hard.
Sometimes you are a junior developer who comes up with an application idea to help improve efficiency, and your team lead tells you to build it, and they let you take the reins entirely.
Yes, but that is not an architect role. As an architect, I often found these little one-off programs and had to stop them. Example: say the Jr Dev uses a trial verson of a new tool/framework for the development and it is not in line with the company direction. Who will maintain it five yrs from now? Say the company uses C# but the Jr Dev builds the tool in Java. Long term that will cost the company far more to maintain then if he used C# from the start. Architects have to be big picture and that means sometimes playing IT cop and enforcing 'standards'.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 Hi Tom, we had an architect worked for our team for 2.5 years, from being a developer somewhere. His role with our company was the first time being an architect. He proposed we replace all SPs and inline SQL in our system with EF, and went to implement 40% of it. The system was crawling, hard to debug where's the data piping through from DB, basically a mess. He left and was so proud of his work with a grin, having "implemented" an EF upgrade project. A year after he left, we started removing ALL instances of EF from our system, and took us 2 years because we can't do it fully and had to remove bits by bits every sprint.
The guy is still an architect somewhere in Melbourne, good luck to them.
@@STUPIDRUclips_HIDINGMSGS I have seen similar. Someone defines a pet project and no one knows enough or has the courage enough to challenge the plan. Millions of $$ and many hours lost, but the person moves on claiming a huge 'victory' under their belt. I succeeded in challenging a couple of them in the past but I got labeled a rebel. I had to rest in my own knowledge that I saved the company lots of pain and money, even if a few else saw it. Note: make sure your boss, at least, understands why you are pushing back.
@@tomthelestaff-iamtimcorey7597 LOL at being labeled a 'rebel'! It's like you're talking about me! I discussed the proposed implementation with manager during the project, the challenges we developers were facing, and the performance of the system in general. I was so frustrated that time, being given a hard time by the architect whenever there are minor changes to DB schema, etc, that I almost quit the job. The manager has total belief in the architect given that it's the manager's first role as a software dev manager (coming from an integration project manager role in the same company) and he handpicked that architect, so no contest for me, I was a 'rebel'. But 2 years after the architect left, the manager although with a bit of sarcasm or probably a bitter pill to swallow for him to admit it, sometimes mentions in our scrum meetings that I've proven him wrong about that EF implementation, but I don't take credit for it. It was his decision anyway!
But that's a great opportunity, not architecturing.
It's not about technology, it's how to meet the non functional requirements eventually , like performance, scale , deployment, high availability and maintainability. And lots of talking and meeting to let others understand what you try to achieve.
An architect isn't JUST about technology, but technology is a major part of what they do.
You always explore Microsoft Tech. But how can we compare best of the market vs Microsoft? For example, Azure and AWS. I have followed all your Azure related videos and those videos are best. But how can I go with Azure without comparing it with other best in the market.
I'll probably do a comparison at some point, but unless the pricing is a major difference (and usually Azure is a bit cheaper apples for apples) then it comes down to which one you feel more comfortable with and which one has the features you want. I've personally found the AWS marketplace to be more confusing as far as naming goes and more unforgiving when it comes to billing issues, which is why I stick to Azure.
@@IAmTimCorey Thanks for this useful insight
@IAmTimCorey Looking forward for the comparison of Azure and AWS
Have you thought of creating a discord server where you could message and talk to subscribers
No, I don't have the time to be messaging and talking with subscribers. There are just too many of you. I do my best to communicate as frequently as possible here on RUclips, but adding another communication mechanism would just mean that everyone sees me less.
Hey
Then who is solution architect ????
The big picture folks that want to address those system issues. Maybe coding is not their passion but problem solving in IT is.
sounds good
Thank you for watching
Love the typo on the title card 'Architech' :-)
No one is perfect. I try to make sure everyone knows it. ;-)
@@IAmTimCorey yes it's good to see you're human. Thank you for your content, it has helped me grow as a developer.
Anyone else here a career architect wondering why software engineers are using our title and making our salaries look so small?
Draws pretty pictures ;)
... and masters of technobabble in many cases.
It definitely seems pretty stupid hiring someone to work as an architect who hasn't worked on their own projects in the field before. Think project management is cool but if you don't understand what issues can come up you are going to have serious blindspots. One thing I've always been weak at is designing my software upfront, I end up throwing stuff together trying out theories and then changing my mind constant rather than designing it out upfront and building from the designs (probably because I don't mirror people's stuff, I try to mix concepts to see how they come together). I never worked in a structured organization before to see how they do it but I also don't see much out there showing how to organize larger projects, just how to build structured processes.
I have two larger projects here on RUclips (Tournament Tracker and TimCo Retail Manager) that can help you see how to architect and organize a larger project. Basically, it takes practice, like you pointed out. It is also subjective to the project in a lot of areas, which makes learning how to do it harder.
@@IAmTimCorey I appreciate the reply. I understand some design patterns, concepts like MVC, refactoring and unit testing but when it comes to designing a decent sized project with multiple subsystems where everything is well planned out I find it difficult to make sure I get everything without getting lost in the weeds.
By the way, one project I'm interested in working on is trying to reverse engineer a service desk to create checklists for all the typical things that would need to be collected in the future for onboarding new clients based on prior experiences. This basically involves multiple systems that access other systems that reference other systems. I'm not aware of the best system to plan something like this out. You aware of anything like this?
I really dislike the ton of buzzwords in the IT scene.
I agree with you but have been in IT for 35 yrs and its always been that way.
As an Architect (the real kind) please stop appropriating our (licensed) profession. Every state in the U.S. bases their rigorous licensing process on a national standard of 6 different half-day examinations (averaging a 50% pass rate), and thousands of hours of directly overseen apprenticeship. Some states, like California, throw in an extra exam to cover circumstances unique to their jurisdiction, like seismic design. There a multiple points in this video that illustrate the cartoonish oversimplification of our legally protected title.
@2:32 "Think of Architecture in general...what do they do...they may not get into the weeds of where do you put outlets..." - YES WE DO. Outlets, light fixtures, thermostats, wall switches, all of it. By and large, we use consultants to produce electrical drawings for us, but we are constantly vetting their drawings and making adjustments based on a combination of design sense and code compliance that we are ultimately responsible for. We have additional diagrams that we produce (not the electrical consultants) in the drawing set, which detail out *precisely* how outlets and more should be installed in regular walls, behind/within/beside/beneath countertops, what minimum and maximum spacing should be used, heights above floor lines - All. Of. It. If I need a hole in a countertop for a cable pass through, you'd better believe I'm calling out the diameter of the hole, and the color and material of grommet that needs to go into that hole. While at the same time considering the sheen of paint that's going on the wall and baseboard below, and how it will interact with the light on a cloudy autumn afternoon.
@5:33 "Design Skills...when it comes to laying out not UI design, but your application design..." - real architects DO focus on the user experience in terms of beauty, aesthetics, emotion, etc. *in addition to* the overall layout of spaces, coordinating HVAC ducts with structure, and more.
"Architecture" is not just big picture, broad brush ideas as the IT world (and more) seems to think. It is a far, far longer and deeper process of first establishing those ideas (generally done quickly in a few meetings over weeks or a couple months) and then translating those into a fully fleshed out volume of construction documents over the course of months or even years. Not to mention then overseeing the actual construction over several more months (or years). This delusion that you think you know enough about real Architecture to say that you do something similar is catastrophic to our industry. It cheapens and waters down the intense mountain of work and countless considerations and decisions that we make throughout the process.
OK, let's talk this through. First, I said architects "may not get into the weeds of where do you put outlets". You said you sometimes use consultants but that you vet their drawings. That would be the definition of not always getting into the weeds, but instead managing those who do. Then you pointed out the design skills, but at that point I was not using the illustration at all but talking about software architects vs senior developers.
Second, no one is appropriating your profession. No one expects that a software architect can also design buildings. That's like expecting a doctor of English to be able to do surgery. In the software development industry, the term software architect is a common title. If you go to Indeed, you will see thousands of jobs with that title ( www.indeed.com/jobs?q=software+architect&l=remote&from=searchOnHP&redirected=1&vjk=306f6a0fb232fffb ). The world is too big to not have some word reuse. For instance, the term captain used to mean the person in charge of a ship. Now it could be an airline pilot, a military rank, or a person on a team. That does not mean that one can do the other or that one is appropriating the title from another. I get that we don't want to confuse people or cheapen the work of one field in another. However, that's not what is happening here. People aren't going to insist on bringing the requirements for being a software architect to your field.
If another industry using a similar term to yours is "catastrophic" to your industry, you must already be at an incredibly fragile state. That seems more to do with you than with us. I get that you are proud of your accomplishment of becoming an architect (rightly so). It is a big deal and it is definitely a needed role in the construction industry. I would encourage you, though, to not see others in other fields as your enemies.
@@IAmTimCorey "No one expects that a software architect can also design buildings" - the issue isn't that people are asking IT techs to design buildings, it's that they're requiring us to design ever faster and cheaper because they think that there's not much to the process, due to perceived simplification of the title. If one firm stands their ground and says they can't do it faster or cheaper, the client may move on to find a hungry, less reputable firm or person who will - and with or without their knowledge - cut corners that ultimately cost more. But by then it's too late, construction or occupancy issues are surfacing, companies are suing each other, and the overall perception of our industry is diminished and the damage is done. Certain areas within the practice of Architecture (most notably multifamily apartment developments) are becoming a race to the bottom driven by developers who see the term "Architect" being spread so thin that they think we are pencil-pushing drafting monkeys who don't do anything other than what they tell us, and that the design just happens.
"That's like expecting a doctor of English to be able to do surgery." - Not really, because there's a very specific word that they use to distinguish their expertise - "Surgeon". And if you've ever spoken with someone who's obtained an academic doctorate, they're generally quick to point out when introducing themselves that it's not a medical degree. At that level of semantics, I don't think you can compare Architect/Doctor, or Architect/Captain. It would be more like "Designer". That's a good, broad, nebulous term that can be ethically stretched to a cover a broad number of endeavors. 'Architect' is not. Why can't you be a Software Designer? It's still a distinctly different term from 'UX/UI Designer' or 'Digital Artist'.
"If you go to Indeed, you will see thousands of jobs with that title" - Precisely. Therein lies a huge pain point for everyone in my field coming out of school (or a layoff) and trying to find a job. Every time I've been in a position to search for employment, I've had to wade through a majority of completely inapplicable job postings because there's no way to filter for "Architect with qualifiers or adjectives". Meanwhile, one can search for "Systems Architect" or "Information Architect" or "Software Architect" or "Network Architect" without ever running into a single A/E/C industry listing. Additionally, without any action on my part, I've been occasionally inundated with recruiters cold-calling and messaging me because they think I'll be a 'good fit' for an opportunity with a tech firm. The broadening use of the term has created real and tangible drawbacks for me.
"you must already be at an incredibly fragile state" - honestly, yes, for a handful of other reasons, the Architecture industry is having difficulty devoting the time and energy to communicating our relevancy (internally, and to the general public), supporting existing Architects, adequately training the next generation, and encouraging people to get into the field. This is just one more thorn in the side, and it's becoming an increasingly painful one. It's definitely hurting, not helping. Watching people co-opt the term into their industry as a step in their job ladder, while I spent over a decade training through dozens of very specific courses to earn multiple *required* degrees (a bachelors degree is practically worthless on its own), studying for and passing exhausting professional exams, and clawing for diverse enough experience to round out my education, so that I can finally earn the legally protected right to use that title for the rest of my working career - is some of the worst kind of demoralization I've experienced in my life. Just because those of you in the IT world don't see or feel the effect you're having, doesn't mean it's not happening.
I can empathize with what you are saying, but I think you are misguided in your "blame". It would not matter if the term architect was never used outside of your field. People would still want designs faster and cheaper. That's just the nature of the industry. The same is true in software development, graphic design, general construction, etc. I was looking to get pricing for a pool and I was reading reviews. There were multiple reviews that were upset because the pool installation tool more than a couple weeks or because there was a "mess" during construction. Unreasonable timeframes, a lack of value on what people do, etc. are all common to every industry.
“Architech”??
Yep, spelling error on the slide.
They just talk, talk a lot in all the meetings.
Sometimes, that is necessary. Planning before you build and all. Sometimes, it becomes a bad thing, though, when it does not lead to clarity and action.
“Introverted people aren’t great at working with people” is a pretty bad misconception