Career advice: What does the career path for an Enterprise Architect look like?

Here is my response to a recent question "What does the career path for an Enterprise Architect look like?"

Looking for a “career path” for an Enterprise Architect is like seeking inputs on a strategy or roadmap; it really depends on various factors. I say this because:

• Enterprise Architects in Consulting firms - EA’s in consulting firms bring in depth in one or more technical or functional domain and play and advisory or program manager role for their clients. Consulting roles require frequent travel and moving from one client to the next. Some individuals may work in consulting roles for some time before they decide to take on a permanent role as technology or functional manager.
• Enterprise Architects working for large organizations generally come with years of experience in their respective domains.
• Some EA’s continue to grow and contribute as EAs, and may be happy driving large multi-year transformations in their organizations. I know a few EA’s who happily retired as senior EA in their organization.
• Some EA’s may take on managerial role in their organization and pursue the Director, VP, SVP, CIO/CTO track
• Some EAs may continue to switch between consulting and FTE roles every few years as opportunities arise

As you can see, an EA’s career path really comes down to an individual’s preference and personal circumstances.