To say that job titles shouldn't include the word 'architect' unless they are actually an architect?

[itssunnyyay]

Hi all, so my partner is an architect, It takes years to become an architect and you have to be registered on the RIBA (royal institute of British architects) to call yourself an architect.

I have noticed an increasing number of jobs using the job title 'architect' that has nothing to do with architecture.. for example, "solution Architect" which is 'responsible for evaluating an organisations business needs and determining how IT can support those needs leveraging software" so .. not an architect.

Other job titles are "software architect", "senior enterprise solution architect manufacturing", "web solutions architect", "HR solutions architect", "finance and accounting digital architect", "analytics implementation architect", "deputy food architect", "platform architect" ... the list goes on

Isn't Architect a protected title? IMO job titles should actually mean something, and all of the above mean absolutely nothing?

OMG this must be one of the most ridiculous AIBU on MN ever.

And thank you for educating us that it "takes years to become an architect", the same goes for solutions architect.

Is your husband not capable of filtering his jobs search? How on earth did he actually manage to complete his degree?

Yes, YABU.

(Referring to ‘washing machine engineer)

@nearlyspringyay I'm not surprised. Often those who have the strongest opinions about GPs and primary care are the partners of people who work in acute NHS, NHS England or other not-a-GPs so, in effect, a DP of not-a-GP. They are often certain and tell me they understand primary care better than someone who has worked within it for decades based on something someone who is not-a-GP has told them which might or might have been true in one instance and which the DP of not-a-GP may or may not have properly understood. It's not to say that they might not sometimes have a valid point but the certainty is surprising and is usually more certain than I can be bothered to be about things I have direct experience about.

Partners of professionals often receive indirect self-esteem from the job so can often be more precious about a profession than the practitioner.

Microsoft have software Evangelists.

Perhaps instead of knocking on doors to spread their message they knocked on Windows?

Are you for real??? Surely not. Nobody is this pompous in real life.

@nearlyspringyay

Firstly, you're wrong.

Secondly, why would you be annoyed about it, it's not even you?

I didn't say I found it annoying, I was just curious why more and more job titles used the term and why it was allowed as I understood it to be a protected title which is why various job roles say architectural rather than architect

'Obviously the use of the word architect is meant to mean designer'

My understanding from the Greek is that is it in effect the person who sends (and controls) the builders. Originally controlling the stone masons but the parallel to the person who controls (to the extent that anyone controls anything) builders/coders of complex IT systems seems legitimate. I don't understand Greek (or English probably) so I defer to your Greek and English, OP, if you're right and it means designer.

@MarshmallowSwede

As someone working in tech and having worked as a software solutions architect myself, a solutions architect is the person responsible for designing the software solution. So it’s reasonable to use architect.

They design the entire infrastructure from internal software solutions to integrations of 3rd party software integrations into said solution.

All if not most of the jobs you listed involve software design and therefore the architect description is absolutely fitting to the job.

I don’t understand people like you that hold a grudge about a job title when you obviously know nothing about the actual jobs you feel like shouldn’t dare use architect.

If you bothered to research what a systems design architect does, or a solutions architect, or HR solutions architect actually does then you wouldn’t have wasted your time making this thread.

All of these roles involve software and IT design and implementation.

A software architect or solutions architect is a highly skilled and trained IT professional.

I take it your husband and you place a high level of importance on his title and feel like it should be a prestige title.

Newsflash.. the IT industry also has architects who build the very internet and technology you use OP.

Next time google the actual job titles before embarrassing yourself and taking offense.

Firstly I haven't taken offence to it lol you clearly have though.. I did google what the jobs are, I do understand they are design jobs mostly within IT and Tech, I just don't get why the use of the word design or designer has been replaced with architect, it doesn't offend me or keep me up at night lol

@itssunnyyay design and architecture are different, I'm afraid you really don't know what you're talking about.

Zilla- ah, you’ve met “Sarah” then. Aka “my husband, the heart surgeon”.

@LadyMacduff

why don't interior designers call themselves interior architects then?

To me, architect has connotations of designing and building frameworks of interlinking components, to make a whole system that achieves it's aims. An interior designer is more about the aesthetics; they're not stress testing systems and applying legislation or whatever.

I spose tbf interior architect and interior designers are different occupations and that's why interior designers can't call themselves interior architects

@MakeABaer

OMG this must be one of the most ridiculous AIBU on MN ever.

And thank you for educating us that it "takes years to become an architect", the same goes for solutions architect.

Is your husband not capable of filtering his jobs search? How on earth did he actually manage to complete his degree?

Yes, YABU.

What's my DP got to do with this? He didn't write this post lol

I do think titles like Solution Architect and Finance and Accounting Digital Architect sometimes sound a bit wanky.

And I take your point about the protected job title thing.

But I think people will know from context who is an architect in the original professional sense and when the title is just being used in a different way.
So YABU really.

I often see 'Scrum Master' vacancies but it has nothing to do with rugby. It's a project management role.

[quote Zilla1]@nearlyspringyay I'm not surprised. Often those who have the strongest opinions about GPs and primary care are the partners of people who work in acute NHS, NHS England or other not-a-GPs so, in effect, a DP of not-a-GP. They are often certain and tell me they understand primary care better than someone who has worked within it for decades based on something someone who is not-a-GP has told them which might or might have been true in one instance and which the DP of not-a-GP may or may not have properly understood. It's not to say that they might not sometimes have a valid point but the certainty is surprising and is usually more certain than I can be bothered to be about things I have direct experience about.

Partners of professionals often receive indirect self-esteem from the job so can often be more precious about a profession than the practitioner.[/quote]
I think people are reading my OP in a tone that it wasn't intended, I'm not precious about my DPs job.. my post was more out of curiosity rather than .. anger, but now I understand a little bit better :)

But they aren't designers - they are creating structures, like a building, it just isn't a physical thing.

Same for engineer and psychologist. Husband and I both chartered as above but anyone can call themselves same.

It’s annoying but I don’t think architect is the worst of it.

OP I agree with you, but my concern more is with the "Architectural designer" etc. On my local Facebook page when ever someone asks for an architect a few people all start posting about x (whose wife then pops up with the details), but he's not an architect. He's a building surveyor who has moved into design. He hasn't had the same training, doesn't have the same professional body and regulation, and I would have concerns about insurance if something went wrong.

What's your concern exactly? That a Software architect will apply for your DP's job? Don't worry, they won't get it. The opposite also applies.

Software/Solution/Data Architect are well-established job titles in the IT world, which do have meanings, even if you personally don't understand them.

So, what's your job OP?

We understand that your partner is a very important architect and tat you are googling architecture jobs, what is it that you do professionally?

@EdgeOfSeventeenAndThreeQuarter Is she a humble and generous person, more interested in what you do and have to say. It must have taken years before you got her to open up enough to mention her DP's specialism?

Yes, the most recent one was someone who's DP was an accounting assistant for a health ALB and for a day had done some work on spreadsheets reconciling primary care funding.

Now I'm not saying an accounting technician might not understand something better than others, nor that they are not intelligent and skilled themselves. But based on what she had heard, she had surprisingly firm opinions about the generosity and apparently unchanging nature of GP funding, QoF and COVID vaccine payments. Seemed not to reconcile why if something is paid a fortune for not doing any work why they had decided to stop doing that thing. Also surprising expert on how long a GP session plus admin lasts hence how long every PT GPs might work and also about the GP pension scheme. Now I'm old, I find it difficult to have such certainty about anything.

@PeterPomegranate

Same for engineer and psychologist. Husband and I both chartered as above but anyone can call themselves same.

It’s annoying but I don’t think architect is the worst of it.

To add - psychologist (on its own) is not a protected title. So anyone can call themselves a psychologist. I do think that is potentially dangerous.

@itssunnyyay
As a Chartered Architect I think you are getting wound up about the wrong thing.
The problem most architects have is not the other professions using 'architect' in their title especially if they are clearly different but those who pretend they are qualified to do our job and use a similar title , aren't insured and screw up and we get the blame that all architects are shit.
Protection of title is a load of bollocks for most architects and we are more concerned about the creep of unqualified 'designers' that give us a bad name and cause problems.

@DameHelena

I do think titles like Solution Architect and Finance and Accounting Digital Architect sometimes sound a bit wanky.

And I take your point about the protected job title thing.

But I think people will know from context who is an architect in the original professional sense and when the title is just being used in a different way.
So YABU really.

I think that maybe I didn't understand what 'protected title' meant and what it was for

Sorry OP if I mis-judged your post and used it as a vehicle for venting and whimsy.