Data Architecture as a Career Essay Example

The world has a big problem. It has to do with the storage and management of all electronic data. In today’s world, we generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data per day. Not to mention, all this data is required to be stored somewhere. That is where servers come in. The problem is, data servers are not infinitely expansive and have a capacity limit, just like a cardboard box. This limit can result in problems when the amount of electronic data produced each day is increasing at a rapid rate. The career that specializes in data processing, management and its storage is a Data Architect. These are specialist in data systems which help companies design, access, and manage their data systems. In the early 1990’s the publicity of online security, data, and online information collection began to arise. Newspapers as well as large magazine publications began to publish articles about personalization of marketing based on a person’s, thought to be secure, online data. In an article about user privacy, Clear Code CC explains “companies spend more than $2 billion annually to tap into consumer data.” Naturally, people today understand that what you do online is almost always collected as data by larger corporations. The collection of this information helps companies increase the user-friendliness of applications and personalize marketing. While this may sound ominous, the collection of online data has been going on since the creation of binary code, 1’s and 0’s. The reason I chose the field of Data Architecture for my project is that I consider myself a natural problem-solver. The arising problem of data storage along with my immense interest in computer science makes this the perfect job for me.

As an activity in English class, each of us took an Enneagram test. This test calculates your specific personality type from a selection of nine different personalities. When I took the test, I found that I matched 98% with personality eight. Personality eight is regarded to as, “The Challenger”. As I researched further, I found several of its key traits. Firstly, personality eight is known for being independent and self-sufficient. I find this intriguing because my whole life I have always regarded to myself as being extremely independent and self-fulfilling. Moreover, the site lists the personality as being stubborn and headstrong. I find myself relating to this as well. Another thing I found interesting is that the Enneagram site, Truity, states, “As children, they may have been called ‘bossy’ by peers. Many Eights grow up in a conflict-heavy environment and feel like they have to adopt a strong personality early in life to survive.” In a like manner, I grew up in a household with an extremely tough mother, a tough and unreasonable older sister, and a younger sister. To feel like I was being heard, I had to develop a, for-say, “strong-personality” and lay down the mallet to get what I wanted. I can visibly see why I matched with personality eight. In the computer science field, it is required that your ideas be heard, especially if one is taking a prominent, leadership, job position. On the other hand, my second highest percentage matched was personality three, or “The Achiever”. Truity describes this personality as being “Extremely busy and on-the-go” as well as “their deepest fear of being insignificant or a failure.” Again, a trait I highly relate to. When completing work, I always make sure it is done to the best of my ability, regardless of the class. I take pride in hard work and its payoff. 

An entry level job in the field of data architecture, it is required to have, at-least, a bachelor’s degree in computer science, and or, information science. Although larger firms may require people with a master’s degree. Skills required in this field include analytical skills, problem solving abilities, logical thinking, and communications skills. To launch yourself forward in the world of data management you may decide to take up a summer internship. Internships that can propel you further in this field include internships in IT. Discover Data Science states “Data architecture is not usually an entry-level job. Therefore, you’ll want to gain as much experience early on as you can to prepare you for this role”. Taking internships in this field can help a person build skills in application architecture, network management, and performance.

Many tech jobs have entry level options. These consist of IT support, change management support, Asset maintenance, troubleshooting, and cloud computing. On a normal day you may be sitting at a desk working on a computer, surrounded by like-minded people, or attending meetings where one presents projects to a large group of people. The average time of a workweek as a Data Architect can span 40 plus hours with vacation time averaging at about 1.3 weeks per year—with that time increasing with company superiority. The median salary for data architects is $121,000 but it can range from $77,000 to $157,000. Along with most high paying jobs, you can expect extreme work stress. Rise Psychology states “Those who work in the tech industry or in start-ups often face anxiety-provoking work environments on a daily basis, dealing with fast-paced and high-pressure environments that demand significant and sometimes unforgiving amounts of flexibility, creativity, and productivity”. Because of this, a job in this field may not be suitable for people who aren’t used to high-stress environments. While working, you may be collaborating with co-workers that are fast-paced, focused, and creative minded. There is no test or base evaluation for someone in this position, also, a work interview may vary from company to company. This is most likely because it is a new job type. Regardless, you are still required to hold extensive knowledge and experience with computer systems. 

Like all jobs, there are positives and negatives. Some advantages of holding the position of a Data Architect are that it is suitable for people who value achievements and are results oriented. Included with this is a high salary, being in the top 25 percent of paying careers. Despite these pros, one negative is that this job is not fit for people who like to help and teach others. With computer science being complex and difficult to interpret and execute, and the position taking up a lot of time, there may not be much freedom to train and help others below you. Future outlooks for the job include a rising demand with an annual job opening increase of 15.94 percent over the next few years. In recent cases, COVID-19 has also caused job openings to surge. A job platform named Glassdoor states that new positions as IT specialists have increased by 33% from March 2nd to March 11th, 2020. There are infinite career paths can lead you to a job as a Data Architect if you have the required qualifications. If you take IT internships during college as well as obtain business communications and computer science degrees, you can become a data architect right out of college. But this is only one way to achieve the job. What most people work towards is a top position in their field. On the career ladder, the highest paying and most respected position is a Data Architect for a large company, this includes jobs at Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other respected corporations. Because of the complexity of this job, it is required to have high qualifications. This includes 10 plus years of IT experience, 5 plus years of architecting, developing, and deploying a company’s large-scale data solutions. It is also required to have experience with GCP, the Google Cloud Platform, and AWS, Amazon Web Services. Ray Rivera on Livecareer.com emphasizes Google’s selectivity of applicants. He explains “Google receives over 2 million resumes per year, and 1 out of every 130 applicants receive a job offer. To compare, Harvard University accepts 1 out of 14 applicants for their incoming freshman class. It is literally 10 times harder to get into Google than Harvard.”

In all, an average human will claim this is a difficult profession. However, after researching this career I feel as if I understand the type of work and responsibilities on the job. Education requirements, Entry level jobs, working conditions, pay, and time off can make or break someone’s career choice. With all this in mind, I believe my path of education, personal traits, and drive for success makes this a well-fitting career for me. I understand that obtaining the requirements for this job will not be easy as it may need, in some cases, multiple degrees, deep understandings of computer science, and years of on-the-job experience. Widely known and statistically speaking, the data information services field is dominated by men. To help equalize women’s opportunities in tech, once I am older, I would like to inspire the next generation of young women to pursue careers in computer science. I can do this by being an example of a successful female Data Architect, proving women can be just as successful as men in technology related fields.