The growth process of an architect: how a qualified architect is made

Sina Cloud Computing Architect Cong Lei Talks About Architect
For any software developer, an architect is a desirable role. So is there any obvious difference between programmers and architects? From Mr. Cong Lei's introduction, we know that the boundaries between architects and programmers are not very large. For example, they are still writing code every day. In fact, growth comes first from one's own learning, and reading the code of mature projects will benefit people a lot. Second, it comes from experience in the field you are engaged in. To understand the characteristics of distributed systems, when working on projects, you must be able to pay attention to performance, Scalability, reliability, availability and other indicators. Architect is actually a long accumulation process. From the preparation period to the turbulent period, we are constantly exploring and learning. Most architects are around 35 years old, and this stage is the golden age of programmers. So how do we strengthen ourselves by the standards of an architect? Let's take a look at some of Cong Lei's suggestions. How to strengthen skills training? To develop as an architect, programmers need to further strengthen the cultivation of skills. Cong Lei believes that for Internet companies, the most important skill is to understand the network and distributed systems. There are many books on the Internet, but the more troublesome is the distributed system, which needs to be understood in combination with many actual papers and solutions. For this knowledge, he personally recommends continuous reading and repeated reading, because the same knowledge is definitely not a different understanding after different project experiences. How to cultivate yourself? Of course, it is not enough to become an architect only through theoretical study. In Cong Lei's introduction, he learned that in fact, his ideal architect is very demanding, not only has rich coding experience, but also is familiar with hardware performance optimization, Kernel debugging, network troubleshooting, system security, distributed system design, as well as understanding new trends and characteristics of domestic and foreign technologies, and most importantly, be good at communicating with people, dare to exclude different opinions, dare to take responsibility, and understand the team The characteristics of inner engineers are good at combining them into a whole. He himself is working towards this goal. How to work in a team?
 






Many programmers who are developing into architects also want to know how architects carry out design work when they are in the team. Cong Lei also introduced it based on his work. In their team, it is actually difficult to separate the role of a pure architect, in other words, it is difficult to define what the architect only needs to do. The architect is more in the capacity of a technical leader to work with engineers to make products. This includes the design of the scheme before the project is carried out, the review after the completion of the scheme, the development after the scheme is confirmed, and the debugging and optimization afterward. Troubleshooting.
Of course, a good ability to manage and manage the development team, and a good personality cultivation, can allow architects to be at ease in the development project without unexpected interference, and can exude personality charm from the inside.
Finally, in the face of some difficulties for architects to overcome, Mr. Cong Lei said that the biggest challenge is to constantly update himself and adapt to the continuous technological evolution. Then the solution is also very simple, but also difficult, that is "learning" and "persistence".