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IT Architecture related courses?

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  1. #1

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    IT Architecture related courses?

    Just wondering, does anyone know any courses at any University that offer courses related to Enterprise / Software Architecture?

    Reading the program summaries on the websites haven't gotten me much of anything and I figured I'd ask here before calling in to ask.


  2. #2

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    Enterprise/Software Architecture is too broad a term. It can mean anything and everything.


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    I think that's the problem. I'm not all too sure what I should be doing. I was having a chat with my boss regarding future education endeavors since the company I work for does sponsor work related training and his only comment was that I should go for IT Architecture.

    Given the broadness of the term ( Even Google gave me around 3-5 different "definitions" ) it's hard for me to figure out exactly what to search far. The closest I can even think of in regards to what an IT architect is is a senior programmer who leads the company IT direction... which only narrows it slightly down to IT management courses?


  4. #4

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    What is Enterprise/Software architecture?


  5. #5

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    I think you should ask yourself, what is it you want to achieve and get after the course and what is your career goal


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kirbyprime:
    I think that's the problem. I'm not all too sure what I should be doing. I was having a chat with my boss regarding future education endeavors since the company I work for does sponsor work related training and his only comment was that I should go for IT Architecture.

    Given the broadness of the term ( Even Google gave me around 3-5 different "definitions" ) it's hard for me to figure out exactly what to search far. The closest I can even think of in regards to what an IT architect is is a senior programmer who leads the company IT direction... which only narrows it slightly down to IT management courses?
    Where I'm at an IT architect is someone who has worked with many different software and systems and knows how and, more importantly, when to use them to solve a problem.

  7. #7

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    Yes, after some further consultation what I've got is things like UML, TOGAF, Zachmans, and a metric ton of experience ( which I'm severely lacking in ). All things considered, nothing that's really taught in school other than random certification exams.

    It seems that this will be something I just have to slowly learn through work experience.

    Thanks.


  8. #8

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    Indeed, System Architect is a blurry title, earned (or sometimes stolen) after years and years of practice on the field, rather than by reading a book or going on a course.
    "Software Engineering" is a less pretentious and probably more useful phrase to search courses and books with.
    Do you have any programming experience? Do you want to become a programmer? What's your background? etc.


  9. #9

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    I'm currently an Analyst programmer though mostly in Actionscript since I'm more of a RIA developer.

    I was seeking advice from some of my seniors and they suggested I look into an Architect role in terms of career advancement for the future which was the reason for this thread.

    Since my company does offer limited education reimbursement I wanted to see was there anything I could go for. Not that I could go for too broad of a spectrum since I still have to explain why I need such courses and so on.


  10. #10

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    You seem to suggest that RIA development implies Flash/Flex development.
    However, applications like GMail and Google Maps have long shown the world that rich experiences can come from AJAX as well.
    Also, with HTML5 coming our way, I expect Flash dev roles to gradually die down.
    If at all possible, I'd try to get away from this proprietary technology and move onto open standards, i.e. AJAX.

    I am also assuming that you are specialising in front-end development. I would therefore try to learn more about the back-end, say databases or newer technologies like distributed caches or NoSQL. Know nothing about Unix? Explore it. Experiment. Basically my recommendation on your way to becoming an architect is to "get out more", in other words avoid the mistake I made earlier in my career, becoming highly specialised in one technology, while neglecting everything else around it.

    Not sure what courses there are around that would cover this stuff though. Also what you can sell to your bosses depends on how competent (and the fact that they are presumably the ones that chose Flash as a front-end and the fact that they recommend an "architect" course doesn't leave me with high hopes) and open-minded they are.

    Depending on your company's sector (e.g. pharmaceutical), you may also want to learn more about the business, too. Having said that, most IT knowledge is portable across businesses, whereas business knowledge by definition is not.

    Another factor is how much you like your company and how amenable you would be to moving onto greener pastures in a couple of years' time.

    Kirbyprime likes this.

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