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Solutions Architects

Solutions Architects design comprehensive technical solutions that address complex business challenges. They work at the intersection of technology and business, translating requirements into system architectures, evaluating technologies, and guiding implementation teams to ensure successful delivery. These professionals work at technology vendors (AWS, Microsoft, Google), consulting firms, and enterprises. They often support sales teams by demonstrating technical feasibility, designing proof-of-concepts, and building trust with technical stakeholders. The work involves significant client interaction, presentations, and staying current with rapidly evolving technology landscapes. Solutions Architecture offers excellent compensation, variety in projects, and the opportunity to influence major technology decisions. The role requires both deep technical expertise and strong communication skills. Career paths lead to principal architect roles, CTO positions, or senior consulting roles. Cloud vendor certifications (AWS SA, Azure Solutions Architect) are highly valued.

Median Annual Pay
$180,000
Range: $120,000 - $280,000
Training Time
8-15 years
AI Resilience
🟒AI-Resilient
Education
Bachelor's degree

πŸ€–AI Resilience Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Solutions Architects have low AI exposure because the role fundamentally requires understanding unique business contexts, building relationships with stakeholders, and making judgment calls about complex tradeoffs. AI cannot replicate the trust-building, presentation skills, and creative problem-solving needed to design solutions for novel business challenges. Growth of 25%+ reflects cloud adoption and digital transformation.

🟒AI-Resilient

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Low+2

20% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Rapid Growth+2

+25% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
High+2

EPOCH score: 20/25

Total Score6/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated:

πŸ“‹Key Responsibilities

  • β€’Design end-to-end technical solutions for complex business requirements
  • β€’Create architecture diagrams and technical documentation
  • β€’Evaluate and recommend technologies and vendors
  • β€’Build proof-of-concepts and technical demonstrations
  • β€’Present solutions to technical and executive stakeholders
  • β€’Guide development teams through implementation
  • β€’Ensure solutions meet security and compliance requirements
  • β€’Stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends

πŸ“ˆCareer Progression

What does this mean?

This shows how earnings typically grow with experience. Entry level represents starting salaries, while Expert shows top earners (90th percentile). Most workers reach mid-career earnings within 5-10 years. Figures are national averages and vary by location and employer.

1
Entry (10th %ile)
0-2 years experience
$120,000
$108,000 - $132,000
2
Early Career (25th %ile)
2-6 years experience
$150,000
$135,000 - $165,000
3
Mid-Career (Median)
5-15 years experience
$180,000
$162,000 - $198,000
4
Experienced (75th %ile)
10-20 years experience
$220,000
$198,000 - $242,000
5
Expert (90th %ile)
15-30 years experience
$280,000
$252,000 - $308,000

πŸ“šEducation & Training

Requirements

  • β€’Entry Education: Bachelor's degree
  • β€’Experience: 5+ years
  • β€’On-the-job Training: None

Time & Cost

Education Duration
8-15 years (typically 10)
Estimated Education Cost
$53,406 - $199,410
Public (in-state):$53,406
Public (out-of-state):$110,538
Private nonprofit:$199,410
Source: college board (2024)
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πŸ’»Technology Skills

AWS/Azure/GCP architectureEnterprise integration patternsAPI designMicroservices architectureDatabase designSecurity architectureDevOps/CI-CDKubernetesArchitecture frameworks (TOGAF)Diagramming tools (Lucidchart, draw.io)

⭐Key Abilities

β€’Systems thinking
β€’Communication and presentation
β€’Problem solving
β€’Stakeholder management
β€’Technical writing
β€’Business acumen
β€’Relationship building

🏷️Also Known As

Cloud Solutions ArchitectEnterprise ArchitectTechnical ArchitectAWS Solutions ArchitectAzure Solutions ArchitectPre-Sales Architect

πŸ”—Related Careers

Other careers in technology

πŸ”—Data Sources

Last updated: 2026-01-08Manually Sourced
Wages: Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, LinkedIn Salary (Jan 2026)
Skills: Analysis of 50+ LinkedIn/Indeed job postings (Jan 2026)
Outlook: LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2026
AI Assessment: Editorial assessment based on EPOCH framework and task analysis

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