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Suppose Salesforce is your passion, and you only wish to pursue a career in Salesforce. In that case, you must have considered reaching the peak of your job.
Well, for most Salesforce professionals, this peak is the position of a Salesforce Technical Architect—the highest and most respectable profile in the Salesforce chain.
As the profile is for experienced professionals, it requires extensive dedication and a deep understanding of the Salesforce platform.
However, it is optional to have years of experience as every career path values skills. But suppose you are only starting as a Salesforce professional or trying to switch to a Salesforce Technical Architect profile. In that case, you must think of a strategy.
Do not worry because we are here to help you with all the information that you will need to get started.
In this blog, we will explore the credentials required and how you can get there in detail. But before we jump on to the strategy, let’s first understand the role of the Salesforce Technical Architect.
What is the Role of Salesforce Technical Architect?
Designing is pretty much the role of an Architect. If you are building a Salesforce organization, you will need a team of developers to implement the design. But to keep these teams in check and make that grand design, you will need a Salesforce Architect.
They usually work alongside Enterprise Architects and other IT roles to deliver technical solutions while managing large teams of developers specialists. By performing analysis of single applications and design specifications to define the best practices, they often take up the role of project managers.
Besides the designing, Salesforce Architects are also concerned with data flow to and from the integrated systems. Data security is a significant part of their role, whether the data is at rest or in transit.
Here’s a breakdown of their core responsibilities:
- They work together with stakeholders to fully comprehend the objectives and problems of the organization.
- They use their technological know-how and in-depth Salesforce understanding to provide reliable and effective solutions.
- They develop a plan for how the Salesforce implementation should change over time to accommodate new requirements.
- They ensure that developers and administrators follow technical standards and best practices by offering guidance and mentoring.
- They use working prototypes to show the viability and worth of suggested solutions.
- They supervise the implementation of the planned architecture, guaranteeing efficient operation and prompt completion.
- Both technical and non-technical audiences can understand the technical concepts they are effectively communicating.
- They are able to interpret and solve complicated technical problems.
- They keep learning new things and adjusting to the rapidly changing Salesforce platform and technological environment.
Overall, Salesforce Technical Architects are pivotal in ensuring that businesses derive maximum value from their Salesforce investments. They bridge the gap between business needs and technical possibilities, translating strategic objectives into practical and sustainable solutions.
Now, let’s move on to understand what you need to start your Salesforce Architect Journey!
Prerequisites to Become a Salesforce Technical Architect
Let’s explore the prerequisites to becoming a Salesforce Technical Architect. You can also consider it as the square where you should be starting ideally.
Architects are essentially required to have a combination of soft skills, hard skills, and technical expertise. While soft skills include communication, leadership, people skills, etc., hard skills generally require the right qualifications, technological knowledge, and a deep understanding of the platform.
Technical expertise, on the other hand, can be garnered with credible experience during their salesforce journey.
We will dive into the soft and hard skills that are prerequisites for Salesforce Technical Architects.
Hard Skills
A Salesforce Technical Architect, as we mentioned earlier, is for a highly skilled professional. A degree in IT, computer science, or equivalent will prove to be in your favor. However, if you are from a non tech background, then you will need to get started in Salesforce the right way.
Experience with Salesforce is a must for this profile, and a recommendation would be at least five years of experience as a system architect, project manager, or equivalent position. Some other hard skills that you must have are listed below.
- Strong understanding of tactical IT solutions and practical software development experience.
- Deep understanding of networking and computer hardware. Knowledge of programming languages including C#, Java, SQL, SAP, JavaScript, and Java.
- Ability to resolve challenging IT problems.
- Familiarity with databases like MySQL and OS systems like UNIX and Windows.
- Familiarity with cloud technology and cloud computing.
Soft Skills
We know that hard skills are essential for tech profiles, and a Salesforce Technical Architect is not a people manager, but a little soft skill goes a long way. As you would be handling a team of developers to work on your design, you must have strong communication skills. Salesforce Architects collaborate regularly with stakeholders, and thus, learning interpersonal skills would be a great addition.
Having advanced problem-solving skills and the ability to project manage since IT projects usually have tight deadlines is also a needed skill. TAs need to be able to prioritize workload, anticipate problems, and delegate tasks to other team members.
Read More:
Salesforce Architect Interview Questions and Answers
How to Become a Certified Technical Architect
Once you have garnered the skill set that you would require to become a Salesforce Technical Architect, it is now time to validate these skills.
Certification is your door to more significant opportunities, as it will make you a credible salesforce professional. So here we have shared the process to become a Salesforce Certified Technical Architect (CTA.
To pass the exam, the candidates need to set up a review board with three CTA judges. A hypothetical scenario then faces them with a limited amount of time to solve it and craft an end-to-end presentation explaining the different elements of the solution. The judges will then ask questions about your solution and challenge it. As a candidate, you are expected to justify and defend your solution accordingly.
Here are some more details about the exam:
- You must have The Salesforce Certified Application Architect credential and Salesforce Certified System Architect credential.
- The presentation is followed by a question and answer session with the judges.
- You will have 180 minutes for scenario review and solution preparation, 45 minutes for scenario presentation, and 40 minutes for scenario Q&A session.
- An exam facilitator and proctor will be onsite during the exam (or will join virtually if the exam is being executed almost).
Once you clear this process, then, you will have your Salesforce Technical Architect Certification in your hand.
As for preparing for the exam, there needs to be a suitable tool. You need to build your habits and plans and use whatever works best for you. Work on your problem-solving skills with mock scenarios and practice.
Benefits of Becoming a Salesforce Technical Architect
Why should you try to become a Salesforce Technical Architect? Well, the profile is booming with demand, and thus, the compensation for the same is generous. Here, we have discussed the salary and career benefits of becoming a Salesforce Technical Architect.
Salary
Technical architects often make between $79,000 and $161,000 per year, depending on their level of experience. In the US, the average compensation for technical architecture is presently $119,352. This seems like a great opportunity right now if you wish to grab it!
Salesforce Technical Architect Salary expectations will vary depending on experience, credentials, and attained certifications. The role is highly sought-after and well-paid in enterprise architecture because it is a crucial, hands-on role.
Career path
Several professional paths lead to a career in technical architecture. Most begin their early careers in systems development, testing, or programming. Many of them pursue careers in software engineering after graduating, where they learn how to develop and set up various applications for use as teaching aids.
Technical architects must have administrative experience. Therefore, soft skills development will be just as crucial as gaining real-world IT knowledge. People who aspire to leadership roles will be better equipped to acquire the managerial skills needed to secure employment as teaching assistants.
Candidates can advance into senior architecture roles like solution architect or enterprise architect after a career in technical architecture. Some go on to become senior CTOs, or they apply the knowledge and abilities they gained as TAs to become IT consultants.
Conclusion
Your journey to becoming a Salesforce Technical Architect is filled with exploration, learning, and constant growth. It’s a path paved with intellectual challenges, demanding projects, and the immense satisfaction of crafting robust, scalable solutions that empower businesses.
Remember, the Salesforce ecosystem is ever-evolving, brimming with new features, advancements, and complexities. Embrace the continuous learning curve, stay curious, and actively seek out new knowledge.
