Hi All,

Currently at a juncture in my IT career and would like some feedback / opinions from the accomplished Architects in the room -

My objective is to develop into an Application / Solution Architect, and to avoid ambiguity around the title these are example duties / contributions I envisage:

- able to look across an the organization's applications ecosystem & processes, identifying improvement opportunities and integration issues
- developing and enforcing standards for design and development
- (if attached to a particular project) negotiating with other projects for MOUs on integration standards, SLAs, etc.
- being a go-to for data models / taxonomy / integration (not necessarily brand-specific technology)

My work experience so far has been:
1. 1+ years in development (small-medium enterprises & educational sectors)
2. 3 years in enterprise-scale systems consulting (With roles increasingly tending towards the functional/ PM - eg. test management, func. design, schedule & change management)

My Query:
I am considering switching to a development job again to regain hands-on dev. experience in large enterprises, although this will probably involve a more junior position initially if I have to re-skill. I do desire stronger technical grounding, however do not want to lose sight of the bigger picture that I have gained over my consulting years, or be trapped into a narrow technical niche (eg. Expert for Application ABC from Vendor XYZ)

Is this the right approach to take given my above objectives?

Open to suggestions in terms of education / certification options as well.

Many Thanks!
Jon