From a Vanguard Enterprise Architect - Resources (Score 1)

First off, ignore suggestions that you are being given authority without access. For an architect, your access is through the people who have the system rights. You are going to move from "fingers on keys" to "speaking to people." It's the only way for you to scale, and if you cannot scale, you will not be effective. Secondly, welcome to Enterprise Architecture. I was promoted to Enterprise IT Architect over 15 years ago. It was a bit frightening because I was no longer in the position of "pushing IT to make it work." Now, I was in a leadership position. What saved me was good people to ask and provide advice. I screwed up more than once, and I've learned from both my successes and my failures. Seek out a mentor in the EITA community. Get TOGAF certified and leverage the various associations. There are a couple of conferences every year on Enterprise Architecture as well. Third, I'd like to make a small distinction between Enterprise IT Architecture and Enterprise Architecture. Right now, you may not see the difference, and that's OK. But as you mature in the role, in a couple of years, the distinction will become more clear. You are currently a technologist and you are about to be asked to lead to best practices in your technology practices. That is EITA. However, once you've put out the forest fires, you will find out that most of those fires are being started by business decisions that are disconnected from the knowledge needed to execute them. If you work to build trust with your non-technical stakeholders, you can become a key resource for helping to vet business decisions, priorities, and timelines. You will become more involved with helping the company to move towards their strategic goals, not just fixing the practices in IT. The real value of Enterprise Architecture (not EITA) is to help the company change the architecture of the entire enterprise. Not just IT. It takes a long time to get there, so don't be surprised if you are not ready, and your company is not ready, for that level of interaction. You can get there. I know it's possible because, after years of struggle, I got there. And my company was a good bit larger than yours (Fortune 50). (I've since started my own consulting practice to help mid-sized companies like yours to address EA challenges). You are just a few years younger than me, so in many places you are today where I was about ten years ago. It's a fun and challenging path, and one that is not easy to describe. I recommend reading the "Perspectives on Enterprise Architecture" white paper from the Federation of EA Professional Organizations (FEAPO). In addition, the same organization will be release a "Guide to Careers in Enterprise Architecture" in a few months (it's been in process for over two years). That will give you an idea of the competencies that are needed to be effective as an Enterprise Architect and how you can grow in your new role. LinkedIn has many discussion groups specific to EA. Join one. And welcome to the profession of Enterprise Architecture.