What is a Senior Systems Architect?

If you're looking for a job that has a lot of job opportunities tied to it, look no further. Systems engineers are in full demand from all sorts of companies across multiple industries. Everyone needs an "I.T." person in their midst because it's no secret that very few actually know how to use technology.

Sure, most people may refer to you as the I.T. person, but your job is much more complicated than that. Of course, the majority of your time will be spent managing the I.T. services and solving any issues that present themselves, but you will have days that you'll have to recover important emails or divert a disaster.

The only thing stopping you from becoming a systems engineer is a bachelor's degree. Once you've got that under your belt, you'll be on your way to becoming a systems engineer. A really important aspect of being a systems engineer is having the communication skills necessary. The hardest part of your job will be "dumbing" down technology terms so that people can understand what's going on with the I.T. system. Once you get through that, the rest of your job will be easy peasy.

From designing to planning, architects have a hand in houses, factories, office buildings and other structures. Working from an office, architects spend their days developing plans for such structures and meet with clients to ensure their dream is being carried out.

While it all sounds like fun and games, you do need a good amount of education and experience to be able to become an architect. A bachelor's degree is step one. Then you need experience through a paid internship. Before accepting a job offer, you even need to pass the Architect Registration Examination.

A solutions architect develops and oversees the processes involved in integrating IT systems to meet an organization's needs. He/She reviews project challenges to identify alternatives and minimize risks, evaluates the existing system infrastructure, and works with project management and IT development teams to improve the infrastructure. Additionally, he/she informs stakeholders on the progress of product development processes and budgets. Asides from that, he/she develops and implements a framework for necessary contributions from different departments.

Most solutions architects have at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field. Employers will require at least six years of relevant work experience. However, you must possess technical, analytical, communication, project management, and leadership skills. You must also have experience developing IT and cloud infrastructure. Plus, you must be familiar with operating systems. Solutions architects are paid about $127,285 a year. Their salary is between $90,000 and $180,000.