Path to Architect
Your path to architect — built from your answers.
This plan comes from your real answers in the skills assessment: where you are now, which gaps block the next stage, and what evidence to collect at each stage.
First, let's measure the starting point
A personal plan needs a skills assessment result on this device. The quick assessment takes 5–7 minutes; the deep one gives a more reliable plan.
Start the skills assessmentThe stages in general
Junior Backend Developer
Focus: Java, SQL, Spring Boot fundamentals, working with Git and Pull Requests.
Evidence to collect: One reviewed backend project with tests that runs.
Checkpoint: 70+ on Java, SQL and Spring in the deep assessment.
Middle Backend Developer
Focus: Independent delivery, testing strategy, transactions, performance, security.
Evidence to collect: Owning real tasks end to end; reviewing other people's code.
Checkpoint: 70+ on concurrency, security and testing in the deep assessment.
Senior Backend Engineer
Focus: Reliability, distributed systems, Kafka, system design, mentoring.
Evidence to collect: Written design documents and ADRs; incident analyses; people you mentored.
Checkpoint: 'Developing' or better in the case interview; 70+ on system design.
Tech Lead
Focus: Technical direction, documenting decisions, review culture, planning.
Evidence to collect: Technical decisions adopted by a team, and their outcomes.
Checkpoint: 'Strong' in the case interview; 70+ on leadership; an interview with a person.
Solution Architect
Focus: From requirements to architecture, quality attributes, integration, documentation (C4, ADRs).
Evidence to collect: Justified architecture decisions for several systems and their impact.
Checkpoint: 'Strong' across several case scenarios and an architecture review of real projects.
This plan makes no promise about time. Moving between stages usually takes years and depends on real project experience, responsibility and feedback — not on a course.