You’re falling behind on the latest trends and technologies in System Architecture. How can you catch up?

One quick and easy way to find the gaps is to see the current job postings! Most of the job postings require you to have a plethora of skills and you are almost certain to find that you may be just not have the all the required skills needed to get ahead of the game! Another option is to take the relevant certifications in your area as they will help you explore areas that you would have normally not had a chance to work in your day to day work. Additionally, simply making intelligent judgement during your browsing can show you where you need to improve. Follow the popular blog posts, YouTube channels and architecture forums to be aware of what is happening around you and where you see yourself in this maze of ongoing activities around you!

Go back to the basics before diving into the most recent trends. Read "The Mythical Man-Month" and "The Design of Design", both by Fred Brooks Jr. to understand there are a lot of people (soft) skills behind System Architecture. Also, always remember People and their interactions are above processes and tools. Back to Brooks, value the saying "There is no Silver Bullet". The choice of a System Architecture will most probably not kill the werewolf.

Participating in hackathons is a great way to learn and implement your skills. The amount of learning and adrenaline rush that you can get by implementing your skills can never match what you will learn but just going through the tutorials. This events bring out all the required skills needed to be a successful solution architect! You can also contribute to the open sources projects and learn from other's on the best practices and frameworks being used. The Kubernetes GitHub, Apache Kafka, OpenStack GitHub etc. are great sources for you to learn and contribute! These have active members and you will learn a lot more by working on this projects!

The System Architecture is also a tool to communicate what is being developed by everyone surrounding the system. Large sheets of paper and white boards usually communicate better than computer generated prototypes and diagrams.

And also keep your portfolio simple! Your skills should be demonstrated in ways everyone can understand them. Bring examples behind your choices and demonstrate how your repertoire influence your choices.

While learning from experts has its advantages, in my opinion, reverse mentorship can play an important role in bridging the skill gap. Visionary leaders like Jack Welch used this technique to teach senior leadership about technological advances and tools. Since then, many big companies like Cisco and Target have adopted a formal program. Another efficient method is subscribing to YouTube channels such as "Microsoft Developer" and "Azure," which provide power-packed updates on the latest technologies in 10 minutes. However, all these approaches will only work if we are doing enough hands-on and applying them in real-world scenarios. This will ensure that we understand the technologies thoroughly.