I am amazed at where I am today. I am lucky to have made it as an Enterprise Architect, and I made it the unconventional way.
So how did I become an Enterprise Architect? Well, by sheer dumb luck. Only kidding!
I’m in my forties now. I’m practically middle-aged. Yet, my journey started when I was a bright-eyed twenty-three-year-old in Sydney, Australia.
I worked for a public institution that had just initiated a major digital transformation program. My team nominated me to be the key stakeholder in our department; this is how I was exposed to PRINCE2, MSP and TOGAF. It was during this program I met my first Enterprise Architect. I was in awe of his title. He was a lovely, gently spoken man who knew all things IT.
Keep reading to discover how I became an Enterprise Architect unconventionally.
So how did I change my trajectory?
Fast forward three years, after moving to Perth, I found myself in Emergency Services working on IT Projects.
It would be another four years of working on IT projects over several facets. Mostly project coordination, benefits and change management before an opportunity to apply for an Enterprise Architect role popped up.
It was to be a role that would mentor and upskill the successful applicant.
The Director and Enterprise Architect consultants took a chance with me, mentored me and gave me the skills and experience needed to empower me. It’s been over a decade now, and the mentoring in those early years provided to me was invaluable. I cannot thank these people enough.
What did I make sure of next?
I learnt how to practically apply TOGAF (The Open Group Architecture Framework) to my everyday projects, initiatives and customer engagements. Using this knowledge in my regular job, I was confident to take the two TOGAF exams shortly after starting my new role. After hard work and a lot of studying, I passed both exams. I was stoked!
Final Thoughts
Determination, hard work, authenticity and humble beginnings made me what I am today. I was given an opportunity by senior people in this field that believed in me, mentored me and let me explore the depth of my technical skills. Never once doubting me but cheering me on instead, even after I made mistakes. Exploring the lessons to be learned with me and pushing me forward once again.
In conclusion
When people ask me; What can we do to get more women into STEM? I give them the same answer. Don’t expect to find as many women skilled and at your level as there are men. We must actively find those women to nurture and mentor to become the next Solution Architect, Developer or Data Scientist. It’s all about empowerment and education.
If you enjoyed reading this post, check out my article about valuable tools you can use as an Enterprise Architect.
Lastly, a quick thanks to Oliver Cronk who inspired this piece 
Are you a woman that works in IT or wants to get into STEM? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Please comment below…