13 Essential Resources that Empower Architect Trailblazers on Their #JourneyToCTA

Leverage the Technical Architect Program team’s newest course offerings, resources, and recommendations to strengthen your architectural expertise and prepare for the Certified Technical Architect (CTA) Review Board Exam.

To encourage the continued refinement and evaluation of technical knowledge among our awesome community of architects, the Technical Architect Program team has launched several innovative and versatile resources over the past several months to support architects on their #JourneyToCTA.

Since we transitioned from in-person to virtual last March, our team’s number one priority has been empowering candidates to continue their CTA Review Board preparations virtually by unveiling new and engaging resources.

To continue your architect journey without skipping a beat, check out these 13 robust resources and learn how and when to integrate them into your preparations.

The top 4 courses you need to climb the CTA pyramid

Whether you’re working toward achieving your Application and System Architect credentials or are trekking toward the Review Board, register for our team’s newest program offerings to maximize your future exam success!

These courses are designed for candidates at various stages of their #JourneyToCTA and provide great exposure to the Salesforce ecosystem. All courses are taught by CTAs who offer individualized attention to all attendees, thanks to our small class sizes.

Learn more about these workshops below:

• Build Application Architect Expertise (ARC901)
  This is the perfect workshop if you’re working to become an Application Architect. You’ll gain a deep understanding of the credential’s two major cornerstones: Data Architecture and Management, and Sharing and Visibility. By participating in lectures, demos, case studies, hands-on exercises, workshop presentations, and discussions, you can take your architectural expertise to the next level while broadening your overall comprehension of the Salesforce Platform. And the best part? You can make it official by leveraging the knowledge you learned from this course to get certified!
• Build System Architect Expertise (ARC902)
  Integration Architecture and Identity and Access Management are the two most difficult certifications to achieve on your way to becoming a System Architect, and they are the primary focus of this workshop. By participating in lectures, demos, case studies, hands-on exercises, workshop presentations, and discussions, you’ll not only better understand the depth and breadth of these two architectural domains, but you’ll also gain the knowledge and confidence you need to conquer the exams.
• Certified Technical Architect Preparation Virtual Workshop (CTA601V)
  Get equipped with foundational exam information and strategies that will propel you forward in your Review Board preparations. Through this workshop, you’ll understand exam objectives, embrace recommended best practices, discover how to describe key diagrams and artifacts, learn how to formulate a personal preparation action plan, and more! From there, it’s all about building repetition by implementing these strategies and practicing them in mock Review Board sessions.
• Architect Review Board Readiness Diagnostic (CTA602)
  This course is a great way to assess your architectural knowledge and gauge whether or not you’re ready to sit for the Review Board Exam. You’ll work 1:1 with a CTA to complete a mock exam. They’ll evaluate your performance and give you personal feedback as well as a summary of written recommendations. Your assigned CTA will not only identify potential gaps in knowledge but will also provide prescriptive next steps that will enable you to fine-tune and pivot your preparations where necessary.

Discover Architect Trailblazer Community resources

Finding community is one of the most important things you can do on your #JourneyToCTA. Become a member of the Architect Trailblazer Community and join more than 9,000 Trailblazers to remain informed about all things Technical Architect, connect with other architects, and access our team’s exclusive resources.

Here, you’ll find:

• Technical Architect Program office hours: Every other Thursday, the Technical Architect Program team holds two half-hour office hours sessions on Google Hangouts: one at 8 am PT and one at 4 pm PT. Since April, we’ve held 36 office hours sessions and assisted more than 300 architects on their #JourneyToCTA. Have a question you need answering? Join us for one of our next office hours sessions to speak directly with a member of our team.
• Practice Virtual Review Board guide: This guide is a great tool for candidates looking to familiarize themselves with the format of the Virtual Review Board Exam. Use it to conduct virtual mock Review Board sessions that are as realistic as possible.
• Review Board practice scenarios: Our inventory of practice scenarios will help prepare you for the Review Board Exam by providing you with an idea of the structure and domains covered in the exam. All scenarios shared here were used in past Review Board Exams and are great to use for mock Review Board sessions.

Resources from Trailhead and beyond

In addition to our team’s program offerings and resources in the Architect Trailblazer Community, we strongly encourage you to engage with the following materials on Trailhead and other Salesforce social channels:

• Review the Exam Guide: The CTA Review Board Exam Guide is the northern compass for #JourneyToCTA candidates. It contains all the information you need to know prior to sitting for the Review Board Exam, including the exam target audience, recommended training and documentation, and a complete list of exam objectives.
• Complete the Architect Trailmix: The Architect Journey Trailmix is a compilation of architect domain-specific trailmixes to help you build, refine, and practice your architectural skills.
• Catch up on Trailhead LIVE! Architect videos: Watch live and on-demand videos by Salesforce experts about the most in-demand skills. Looking for something specific? Use the site’s filters to modify video results by role, level, and product.
• Visit the Salesforce Architects Blog: The Salesforce Architects Blog on Medium is a publication by and for architects in technology, where columnists explore and celebrate what matters most to architects. Some of the latest topics include how to decide on an event bus strategy and optimizing performance on virtual desktops.
• Bookmark the Salesforce Architects Home: The Architect Digital Home is a central hub where architects can unlock expertise from dozens of teams and contributors across Salesforce. This hub includes access to architect decision guides, release management resources, operation models, roadmapping resources and templates, and so much more. The content is sorted into four general modes: design, deliver, govern, and roadmap. Make it a part of the way you work and use it in your preparations.
• Follow Salesforce Architects on social media: Stay up-to-date on emerging trends, new content, and resources from the Architect Relations team by following these Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

On the 2021 horizon

The Technical Architect Program team could not be more excited to dive headfirst into 2021 and continue the evolution of our program. In doing so, we’re excited to offer more new resources, processes, and recommendations to make your #JourneyToCTA as smooth as possible.

Stay tuned for more announcements coming soon in the Architect Trailblazer Community! In the meantime, as you continue on your personal learning journey, remember the value that Salesforce Architects bring to the technology community.

Kristen Bühler, Global Director of the Technical Architect Program at Salesforce, explained it best, saying,

“Salesforce architects play an extraordinary role in digital transformation on both small and large scales. Through experience, repetition, and refinement, architects on their #JourneyToCTA learn how to effectively leverage their technical expertise of the Salesforce Platform and its products to architect complex, high-performance solutions for clients. Their role as the trusted technical subject matter expert and their ability to drive programs to success are what make them such a major asset to any project, team, or company.”

If this sounds like you and you are on your #JourneyToCTA, we hope these resources will guide you on your architectural learning path and encourage you to explore even more areas of architecture.

And if this inspires you to skill up and become a Salesforce Architect, now you know where to start!