For a profession often associated with certifications, Salesforce Architects are sending a surprisingly consistent message about career growth: it’s not another credential they’re chasing; it’s experience.
The latest SF Ben Architect Survey found that more than half of respondents (53.2%) believe gaining more hands-on experience is the most effective way to progress their careers. That puts practical experience comfortably ahead of earning more Salesforce certifications, which was selected by just 28.3%.
At first glance, that might seem unexpected. After all, Salesforce Architects are among the most certified professionals in the ecosystem. Many have spent years accumulating credentials, investing countless hours in study, preparation, and exams.
But perhaps that’s exactly why the finding makes so much sense. The more experienced architects become, the more they recognize that real growth often happens outside the exam room.
A Profession That Is Still Optimistic, But Feeling the Pressure
There is plenty of good news in the survey. Nearly two-thirds of architects (64.1%) said they were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their careers in architecture. More than half were also satisfied with their current skill levels.
Those are encouraging numbers for a profession that sits at the intersection of technology, business strategy, and leadership.
Yet there is another side to the story.
More than half of respondents (57%) agreed that Salesforce is becoming increasingly complex to work with. New products, AI capabilities, industry solutions, integrations, data platforms, and ever-expanding feature sets are creating an environment where keeping up can feel like a full-time job in itself.
When asked what posed the greatest risk to their careers, respondents pointed to three concerns almost equally:
- Keeping pace with rapidly changing technology.
- The possibility of Salesforce losing market dominance.
- The growing number of Salesforce professionals and architects entering the market.
Taken together, these concerns reveal something important: architects are not worried about standing still – they’re worried about staying relevant.
And in an industry that changes this quickly, relevance is often built through experience rather than theory.
The Difference Between Knowing and Doing
Certifications have always played an important role in the Salesforce ecosystem. They provide structure. They establish a baseline of knowledge. They give employers confidence that a professional has invested time in understanding a particular area of the platform.
But certifications can only go so far. An architect may know the recommended integration pattern on paper. They may understand the principles behind governance, scalability, or security. They may have studied every relevant Trailhead module.
What certifications cannot fully replicate is the experience of making decisions when deadlines are tight, stakeholders disagree, budgets shift, and business priorities change.
Those lessons are learned through delivery.
They come from difficult projects, unexpected challenges, and solutions that do not always behave exactly as planned.
“Certifications gave me knowledge and structure. Real projects taught me judgment. And I think that judgment – knowing when to use a capability, when not to, and how to design for what comes next – is what really makes the difference.”
Yosra Saidini, Solution Architect
That reality was reflected in the survey’s findings around certifications. While many respondents acknowledged their value, 32.6% expressed mixed views about how accurately certifications reflect architectural capability. Another 14.9% felt certifications were too focused on theoretical knowledge and did not adequately represent practical skills.
This doesn’t sound like a rejection of certifications. It sounds more like a recognition of their limits.
Architects Are More Hands-On Than Many People Think
One of the most interesting findings from the survey challenges a common assumption about architecture roles.
There is often a perception that architects eventually move away from the technical side of delivery. As responsibilities grow, their work becomes more strategic, more stakeholder-focused, and less hands-on.
The survey suggests reality looks quite different. An overwhelming 92.2% of respondents reported doing hands-on work either regularly or to some extent.
That figure speaks volumes.
Even as architects take on leadership responsibilities, many are still actively engaging with the technology itself. They’re exploring new features, validating designs, building proofs of concept, reviewing implementations, and staying close to the platform.
In many ways, this reflects the evolution of the architect role. Today’s architects are expected to guide strategy, but they are also expected to understand the practical realities of implementation. The most effective architecture decisions are often informed by firsthand experience.
It is difficult to recommend a solution with confidence if you have never tested it yourself.
Learning Happens in the Gaps
One challenge many architects face is finding opportunities to stay hands-on while balancing increasingly senior responsibilities.
This is where lab environments, side projects, and personal experimentation become so valuable.
Some of the best learning happens outside formal project work.
A sandbox can become a testing ground for a new integration pattern. A personal project can provide an opportunity to explore AI capabilities. A proof of concept can reveal practical limitations that no certification guide ever mentions.
These experiences create a deeper understanding of the platform because they move learning from theory into application.
Interestingly, nearly half of respondents (49.7%) identified using AI tools within their projects and solutions as an effective way to advance their careers. That finding reinforces the idea that architects are looking for practical exposure to emerging technologies, not just conceptual knowledge.
“I’m not an architect yet, but from my experience, don’t chase certifications over real project work. AI can help you learn the platform faster, but it can’t replace the lessons you gain from delivering solutions in production.”
Joshua Arda, Senior Salesforce Developer
The people who gain experience early are often the people best positioned to lead conversations later.
Technical Depth Still Matters, Even If Coding Doesn’t
Another revealing insight from the survey came from the skills architects consider most important.
Communication topped the list, followed by diagramming and low-code capabilities. Coding ranked lowest.
At first glance, that might sound surprising. But for many experienced architects, it makes perfect sense.
The architect’s role is not simply to understand technology. It is to help organizations make good decisions about technology.
That requires communication. It requires influence. It requires the ability to explain complex concepts in ways that business stakeholders can understand and act upon.
“Soft skills are so often overlooked by folks wanting to get into an architecture role, but they are a key differentiator. You can be the most skilled architect in the country, but if you can’t explain your design to your client, the stakeholders, or your development team in a way that they understand, then all is for nought.
Christy Bottomer, Salesforce Technical Architect
“Your biggest asset is being able to explain your super sexy technical design where you’ve considered all of the scalability, security, and governor limits in a way that each of the different audiences will understand. (And you’ll know they do because they ask really GOOD questions!)”
Yet the survey’s emphasis on hands-on experience suggests something equally important. Architects may not need to write the most code, but they still need technical credibility.
They need enough practical experience to understand trade-offs, evaluate options, challenge assumptions, and guide delivery teams effectively.
The strongest architects often combine both skill sets. They can engage with executives in the boardroom and technical teams in the solution design session.
A Career Lesson Worth Paying Attention To
Perhaps the most powerful takeaway from the survey is that architects are redefining what professional development looks like.
The traditional assumption has often been simple: earn more certifications, become more valuable. The survey suggests the reality is more nuanced.
Many architects already hold extensive certification portfolios. Some are pursuing CTA. Others have chosen not to, citing uncertainty around the return on investment or a preference for focusing on practical experience instead.
What unites them is not a shared view on certifications – it is a shared belief in the value of continuous learning.
For some, that learning comes through credentials. For others, it comes through new technologies, integrations, specializations, AI projects, or experiences beyond the Salesforce ecosystem.
The common thread is growth through doing. As the Salesforce landscape becomes larger and more complex, architects appear to be prioritizing the experiences that help them adapt, solve problems, and stay relevant.
The message from the community is not that certifications no longer matter – it’s that experience has become the currency that matters most. And in a profession built on designing solutions to real-world problems, that may be exactly what we should expect.
For more insights from the SF Ben Architect survey, check out Tim Combridge’s summary and don’t forget to download the full survey!
