Link: http://www.etc-architect.com/?p=46
From ETC-Architect » Architect Global | Data Architect, Global | Enterprise Architect, Global
Many architect miss the fact that architecture is not only done as source of income, but also as voluntary unpaid work. There are various architects in areas such as open source developments that often are superior in their core skills to the paid ones. Some of them are also architects that do architecture as a paying job as well. The main difference is that those who do architecture on an unpaid basis will concentrate on areas that are satisfying for them and as such avoid getting dragged into all kinds of often unnecessary work and compliance. The other often overlooked aspect is that many of these volunteer architects learn real thought leadership much faster and more substantial than their paid colleges, as within a volunteer organisation as an architect you will need to convince the other members of the project not only by superior arguments, but also by personality.
So often it is sad that those great architects are often overlooked when it comes to a search for the best qualified architect for a commercial position. In my experience usually many architects that have up to that point had a long experience as an architect in an open source development make excellent software architects, but because of their commercial work as for example as a shop assistant they are often not even considered. The same also applies very much for solution architects as solution architects from a voluntary projects are often more focussed on finding a solution that will not only work, but they also often have excellent skills in cost control (as most money in open source projects will come from their own purse) and are used to do many of the jobs that in a commercial setting are left to others. A similar thing often applies for the more enterprise orientated architects that are often quick to point out that their jobs such as Enterprise Architect, Security Architect or Service Architect just to name a few, require skills that are learnable by a career in a professional organisation. Funny enough when an attempt was made to test that assumptions I have always noticed that they were proven wrong, as the main skills deficiencies of their voluntary colleagues were mainly on some commercial software knowledge such as an ERP system that was easily compensated by train. However the often superior leadership skills (that are often impossible to learn by training), as well as their free thinking instead of thinking in routines of the enterprise in question more than compensated the lack.
I myself have worked in both areas and have come to the conclusion that with very exceptions that the best and brightest architects are those that do architecture in both areas, as it helps them to towards excellence in their field.
