In the November/December issue of IEEE Software, Paul Clements of the SEI writes in the Career Development column about certified software architects. Here is the abstract:
Are software architecture certifications worthwhile? At a recent Software Engineering Institute architecture conference, certification programs from Boeing, Raytheon, Siemens, the International Association of Software Architects, and the SEI were presented and compared. This article captures the comparison, and offers some advice about engaging in certification activities and (if you’re an organizational manager) setting up your own program.
Paul moderated a panel at SATURN 2010, which we previewed and summarized here on the SATURN blog. His column in IEEE Software is well worth your time. Paul writes,
As an architect, should you bother? Yes. If your organization isn’t at the cutting edge of architecture practice and discipline, certification will make you stand out among your peers. If it is, certification will keep you from being left behind.
If you make management decisions for an organization, should you encourage your architects to become certified? Again, yes. Certification enforces common concepts and practices across your business units, making your architects more portable and able to pitch in where needed. It also demonstrates in no uncertain terms that you think architecture is important. Better practices, and better architectures, will follow.
I encourage you to get a copy of the November/December issue of IEEE Software and read the whole thing.
- Bill Pollak, SEI
