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.
How to Become a Solutions Architect
What is a Solutions Architect
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Solutions Architect. For example, did you know that they make an average of $53.21 an hour? That's $110,680 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 11,200 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Solutions Architect Do
There are certain skills that many Solutions Architects have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Analytical skills, Communication skills and Creativity.
How To Become a Solutions Architect
If you're interested in becoming a Solutions Architect, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 66.0% of Solutions Architects have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 23.8% of Solutions Architects have master's degrees. Even though most Solutions Architects have a college degree, it's impossible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Solutions Architect. When we researched the most common majors for a Solutions Architect, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Solutions Architect resumes include Associate Degree degrees or Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Solutions Architect. In fact, many Solutions Architect jobs require experience in a role such as Senior Software Engineer. Meanwhile, many Solutions Architects also have previous career experience in roles such as Consultant or Software Engineer.
What is the right job for my career path?
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
And if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Solutions Architect Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of Project Manager you might progress to a role such as Senior Project Manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title Contractor-Senior Project Manager.
Solutions Architect Jobs You Might Like
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Average Salary for a Solutions Architect
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12 Solutions Architect Resume Examples
Build a professional solutions architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your solutions architect resume.
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Angela Gonzales Solutions Architect |
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Kenneth Moore Solutions Architect Experience Solutions Architect2019 - Present Lockheed Martin•Fort Worth, TX
Senior Consultant2018 - 2019 Lockheed Martin•Fort Worth, TX
Lead Technician2015 - 2018 Lockheed Martin•Fort Worth, TX
Technical Analyst2006 - 2015 Infosys Public Services•Houston, TX
Skills Master DataProject ManagementVisioXMLConsultantsUser InterfaceNetwork SecurityInfrastructureData AnalysisPl/Sql Education Bachelor's Degree Electrical Engineering2003 - 2006 Texas A&M University•College Station, TX |
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Learn How To Write a Solutions Architect Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Solutions Architect resumes and compiled some information about how to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Solutions Architect Resume Examples And TemplatesAnd if you’re looking for a job, here are the five top employers hiring now:
Choose From 10+ Customizable Solutions Architect Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Solutions Architect templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Solutions Architect resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Solutions Architect Demographics
Solutions Architect Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among Solutions Architects, 13.4% of them are women, while 86.6% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among Solutions Architects is White, which makes up 71.1% of all Solutions Architects.
- The most common foreign language among Solutions Architects is Spanish at 27.1%.
Find the best Solutions Architect job for you
Solutions Architect Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Solutions Architect Jobs - $146K and Up
- Work From Home Solutions Architect Jobs
- Entry Level Solutions Architect Jobs
- Part Time Solutions Architect Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Solutions Architect Jobs
Top Colleges for Solutions Architects
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Find the best Solutions Architect job for you
Solutions Architect Jobs You Might Like
- High Paying Solutions Architect Jobs - $146K and Up
- Work From Home Solutions Architect Jobs
- Entry Level Solutions Architect Jobs
- Part Time Solutions Architect Jobs
- Actively Hiring
- No Degree Solutions Architect Jobs
Online Courses For Solutions Architect That You May Like
AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate - AWS Certification. Get AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification...
Be an AWS Solutions Architect Pro! AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional Practice Tests for the SAP-C01 Exam...
Be an AWS Solutions Architect! AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Practice Tests with new SAA-C02 topics!...
Top Skills For a Solutions Architect
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 13.9% of Solutions Architects listed Cloud on their resume, but soft skills such as Analytical skills and Communication skills are important as well.
Best States For a Solutions Architect
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a Solutions Architect. The best states for people in this position are Washington, California, Oregon, and New York. Solutions Architects make the most in Washington with an average salary of $123,666. Whereas in California and Oregon, they would average $118,930 and $118,069, respectively. While Solutions Architects would only make an average of $116,878 in New York, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Washington
$123,666
Avg. Salary
2. Oregon
$118,069
Avg. Salary
3. Virginia
$116,660
Avg. Salary
How Do Solutions Architect Rate Their Jobs?
4.0
4.0
solution architect • October 2019What do you like the most about working as Solutions Architect?
Good pay, good communication with other people Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
Less technical, but with some traveling sometimes Show More5.0
5.0
awesome • July 2019What do you like the most about working as Solutions Architect?
long term analysis Show MoreWhat do you NOT like?
redesigning due to lack of understanding the requirements Show MoreTop Solutions Architect Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ Solutions Architects and discovered their number of Solutions Architect opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Capgemini was the best, especially with an average salary of $114,457. Tech Mahindra follows up with an average salary of $97,452, and then comes Amazon with an average of $119,149. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a Solutions Architect. The employers include General Motors, Dell, and Salesforce
Solutions Architect Videos
Becoming a Solutions Architect FAQs
Does a solution architect require coding?
No, a solution architect does not require coding. Specifically, a solutions architect doesn't usually need coding skills to enter or prosper in your career, but understanding coding is necessary to make informed decisions.
A large part of being a solutions architect is maintaining the ecosystem, which requires some light coding (e.g., templating). The syntax is simple enough that anyone could do it, even without any coding experience. Generally, though, most people in an architect position will have experience with significant languages and Linux.
Essentially a system architect should code to help in debugging or prototyping a solution to the most challenging and highest risk problems. Some do consider coding to be an essential part of the job.
If you're not "coding," you don't experience your decisions' effects on the team and the solution. For example, suppose you require a specific architectural pattern to be implemented. In that case, you may not understand the impact that decision has on throughput if it takes a long time to implement or agility if it's relatively brittle and isn't flexible when changes to requirements occur.
How do I start a solutions architect career?
You typically start a solutions architect career with a bachelor's degree in information technology, software engineering, or computer science. A master's degree is sometimes needed for specialization in systems architecture. In addition, some employers require the completion of some certification programs.
Becoming a solution architect doesn't happen overnight. It's a slow and steady progression of learning and developing that takes many years of experience to grow into the role.
Consistent with this, solution architects usually have ten or more years of experience with network systems administration or information technology systems. While the experience may vary, most solution architects work with complex database management systems or business intelligence tools.
Certification programs can also be helpful, and there is a lot to choose from, depending on your desired focus.
Some Popular Certification Programs Include:
The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF)
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
Certified Information Systems Security Professional - Architecture (CISSP)
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate
CCNP Service Provider Operations
Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional
VMware Certified Professional 6 - Cloud (VCP-Cloud)
How much do solution architects make?
A solution architect makes $120,769 per year. However, the range can start anywhere from $95,000 to $220,000 a year. Factors such as the type of company, location of the position, and the number of years of experience can all impact how much a solution architect can earn.
Top Companies For Solution Architects In The United States:
Cloudreach - $220,068 per year
MongoDB - $208,501 per year
L3Harris - $199,912 per year
WORKFORCE INC - $197,707 per year
NVIDIA - $197,504 per year
Highest Paying Cities In The United States For Software Architects:
New York, NY - $141,096 per year
Washington, DC - $140,570 per year
Austin, TX - $137,831 per year
Atlanta, GA - $137,625 per year
Phoenix, AZ - $136,234 per year
The Number Of Years Of Experience And Earning Potential For A Solution Architect:
Entry-level (less than one year) averages around $74,000 a year
Early career (1 to 3 years) averages $94,000 a year
Mid-career (4 to 6 years) averages $116,000 a year
Late career (7 to 12 years) averages $127,000 a year
Experienced (13 or more years) averages $138,000 a year
Is a solution architect a good job?
Yes, being a solution architect is a good job. Working as a solution architect is lucrative and continues to remain in high demand. A systems architect plays an essential role within the company, and many system architectures report a high degree of job satisfaction.
A systems architect earns around $100,000 a year, with some making over $200,000 a year. The job market for systems architects is expected to grow 5% between 2018 and 2028.
This job, however, is not for everyone. A solution architect needs to be both tech-savvy and have a mind for business as well. Other soft skills include excellent interpersonal skills and communication.
Overall, solutions architects provide businesses with much-needed insight and advice as consultants to their clients. Solution architect could be a good career path choice for someone who likes technology enough to keep up with the latest platforms, tools, and technologies.
What do you need to be a solutions architect?
To be a solutions architect, you must meet the educational and work experience requirements.
Most solutions architects earn a bachelor's degree in information technology, information systems, software engineering, or computer science. A master's degree is usually needed for specialization in systems architecture, and some employers may prefer applicants to have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in information systems.
After meeting the educational requirements, it's time to begin gaining real-world experience. To become a solutions architect, you need at least. Three or more years of experience with network administration, information technology systems, or systems engineer/software engineer.
Some employers may also require solutions architects to participate in certification programs and periodic training. Overall, you want to experience various Internet technologies (e.g., REST, Web services, JavaScript, HTTP, SSL). It's also essential to become proficient in Node.js, PHP, Python, Java, and.Net.
What skills do you need to be a solutions architect?
Skills you need to be a solutions architect include being articulate communicators, creative thinkers, and concrete planners who understand the organization's vision for productivity and profitability today and tomorrow.
Technical Information Skills Necessary For Solution Architects:
Familiarity over a wide range of environments, databases, and platforms
Cloud-native architectures, primarily AWS
Modern browser and internet technologies
Development management methodologies including Scrum, Agile, Kanban, and Lean
Delivery methodologies, primarily DevOps and CI/CD
Modern programming languages (e.g., Java, Javascript, Python, C#)
UI/UX experience, ability to work with designers/analytics
Information security regulatory awareness
Business Skills Necessary For Solution Architects:
Financial, budgeting, and analytical skills
HR project management skills
Market awareness analysis
SWOT analysis, risk assessment
Reporting skills familiarity with metrics
Other Skills Necessary For Solution Architects:
Leadership, team motivation, task assignment, discipline
Creativity solution-finding
Compassion listening ability
Understanding unique needs, risks, pain points of customer verticals
Strong written oral communication skills