What?
Path to becoming an architect. Solidifying skills you have and those that are missing. First is a solid base.
Phase 0 - Update CV
Note
Ongoing process that will be updated as we progress through the path.
- Take an initial look at it again
- Apply changes as the phases progress.
Phase 1 - Preparations
Info
Plan out the transition. Take care of requirements.
- Plan
- Figure out what you are missing and work on that. Extract relevant information and topics to research later.
- Book about learning (check wallabag)
Research
Phase 2 - Soft Skills
Info
Soft Skills are essential for architects. Being able to accurately and effectively manage people and their expectations, leads to a pleasant experience for all parties.
Focus on key areas that you feel your are lacking in.
Areas
- Communication is the most important area to improve on. Focus on the 3 main forms of communication.
- Leadership
- Presenting Your Ideas
- Prioritization
- Stakeholder Management
Articles
- https://www.workingsoftware.dev/10-soft-skills-for-tech-leads-and-software-architects/?hl=en-US
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dMUV2wgt7vblpddhIEaWIYR-0nA14e0w3qLb5KcyfVo/edit?usp=drivesdk
Phase 3 - Refresher on programming principles
Info
Focus on a few topics surrounding programming and programming principles. Solidify technical foundations.
- Plan
- Extract core principles to follow
- Reading List
- Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert C. Martin: Foundational principles for writing readable, maintainable code.
- Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler: Techniques for improving code structure without changing functionality.
- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas: Practical advice for software development and career growth.
- Articles
Phase 4 - Refresher on architectural design patterns
Info
Take a look at and expand on common architectural design patterns.
- System Design
- Patterns and design principles
- System Architecture
- Types Of Architecture
- Security
- Networking
- Reading List
- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann: Considered essential reading for understanding modern data systems, storage, and processing trade-offs.
- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler: A classic reference for patterns used in building enterprise applications.
- Clean Architecture: A Craftsman’s Guide to Software Structure and Design by Robert C. Martin (“Uncle Bob”): Focuses on principles for creating maintainable and adaptable software architectures.
- Software Architecture in Practice (Bass, Clements, Kazman): A comprehensive academic text on software architecture concepts.
- A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout: Offers insights into design principles focusing on simplicity and managing complexity.
- Useful Acricles
Phase 5 - Refresher On AWS
Info
AWS to serve as an example of cloud technology.
- Plan
- There is a course on Udemy about AWS, go through it.
- Methodology
- Alongside learning about AWS, I want everything I do to be done with Terraform
Phase 6 - TOGAF certification
Info
Taking @Plamen Boychev (Broadcom)‘s and @Atanas Manolov (Broadcom)‘s example and going through the certification.
- Plan
- Research what is needed
- Learn the materials
- Mock Exams
- Take certification
Phase 7 - Acing the interview
Info
Preparation for the interview.
- Plan
- Mock interviews
- Research primagen recommended read
- STAR Method Framework
- Reading List
- https://github.com/yangshun/tech-interview-handbook
- System Design Interview – An Insider’s Guide (Volumes 1 & 2) by Alex Xu: Highly popular books specifically targeting system design interview preparation with frameworks and examples.