How To Become A Computer Architect: What It Is and Career Path

What is a computer architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Elaine Chow AIA, RA, NCARB

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a computer architect. For example, did you know that they make an average of $45.01 an hour? That's $93,616 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 3,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a computer architect?

Elaine Chow AIA, RA, NCARB

Director of Student Professional Development, Clinical Assistant Professor - Architecture, NCARB Licensing Advisor, SUNY at Buffalo

Adaptability will always be an important skill. There will be software improvements and changes that you need to stay aware of and technology that will benefit both the design and construction sides of the industry. Communication will remain an important part of the way we work together in teams.

ScoreComputer ArchitectUS Average

Salary

7.3

Avg. Salary $93,616

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.2

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.32%

Asian 16.33%

Black or African American 2.33%

Hispanic or Latino 12.05%

Unknown 3.96%

White 65.02%

Gender

female 12.82%

male 87.18%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a computer architect

Explore computer architect education requirements

Most common computer architect degrees

Bachelor's

70.6 %

Associate

11.8 %

Master's

9.8 %

Start to develop specific computer architect skills

Skills	Percentages
Cloud	39.11%
C++	8.17%
Cloud Computing	7.89%
AWS	5.82%
Azure	4.14%

Complete relevant computer architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New computer architects learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a computer architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real computer architect resumes.

Research computer architect duties and responsibilities

Lead creation of client virtualization strategy and roadmap.
Lead ITIL processes, contract negotiations, architecture, vendor management, and project management.
Manage the desktop computing environment that includes hardware and software, defining standards, ensuring security and support.
Manage technical architects for development and support of existing and new terminal platforms to support Walmart mobile and batch application infrastructure.

Prepare your computer architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your computer architect resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a computer architect resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable computer architect resume templates

Build a professional computer architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your computer architect resume.