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The differences between solutions architects and chief architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a chief architect has an average salary of $168,836, which is higher than the $116,327 average annual salary of a solutions architect.
The top three skills for a solutions architect include cloud, java and AWS. The most important skills for a chief architect are cloud, infrastructure, and digital transformation.
| Solutions Architect | Chief Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $116,327 | $168,836 |
| Hourly rate | $55.93 | $81.17 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 107,754 | 98,518 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A solutions architect specializes in creating and implementing software systems that improve business operations and resolve network issues. They are primarily responsible for conducting research and analysis to assess the business's needs, develop specific designs for the company, provide solutions should there be any system issues, and keep company officials informed with all changes and updates. Furthermore, a solutions architect must lead and encourage development teams, stay up to date with the newest trends to continue innovations within the systems, and implement its policies and guidelines.
Chief architects are C-level executives in information technology (IT) who look at IT functions that may be centralized for seamless collaboration. They are also called enterprise architects who design and manage the software release team base on the scrum/agile development methodologies. Their job involves systems analysis, and they project plan in transitioning the Internet operation of MCI to wireless and cable platforms. Also, they offer a disaster recovery solution for a virtual or physical server to a data center in the cloud.
Solutions architects and chief architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Solutions Architect | Chief Architect | |
| Average salary | $116,327 | $168,836 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $154,000 | Between $111,000 And $255,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | Zscaler |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a solutions architect and a chief architect in terms of educational background:
| Solutions Architect | Chief Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between solutions architects' and chief architects' demographics:
| Solutions Architect | Chief Architect | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 86.6% Female, 13.4% | Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |