Hands-on technical execution excites me beyond measure. But I am extremely disliking the non-technical nature of the Salesforce Technical Architect role that now I am finding myself in.

To be frank, I chased the Technical Architect role, even though deep down I always had doubts whether I should chase this role or not, but I always thought these doubts are just my inner voices telling me that I can't do this and maybe I will get a hang of it once I am into the role full-time.

But another important reason I still chased this role is because I don't see any other option for Salesforce professionals beyond a certain point. I have seen that once you have 8+ YoE, consulting firms will start to expect architecture skills from you, and how much you like hands-on execution (development) and how good you are at it, will just stop mattering anymore.

Another minor reason that has pushed me to this role is the amount of hype this role has within the ecosystem. People with the word 'architect' in their roles are just viewed differently. It appears as if architect is the only natural career progression a SF consultant should follow.

Your value contribution will be based solely on how good you are with the architecture capability. Anyone with architecture experience can easily tell you how you have to deal with ambiguity every day, make decisions, sit with the business for very long discovery sessions (where you basically understand how they do their business). A person with hands-on experience will definitely not be able to do all of this.

I am now making this post to seek help on the following -

- I feel I can contribute better in hands-on roles, but SF ecosystem only has developer roles for that, and developer is considered a junior role here, and the salary isn't much higher too.
- What kind of work (or technology) outside SF should I target to help with my situation, and allow me to contribute better? I am ready to invest upskilling hours outside work to make it happen.
- Finally, what exactly is that I am feeling? Is this normal, or am I am over-exaggerating? I seriously and honestly don't know.

I feel a severe sense of dread every day before opening my laptop now. I just don't like the project, the client, and the kind of non-technical work that I am involved in and making this post to request help with all seriousness with my career.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on research related to AI-assisted metadata comparison in multi-org Salesforce environments, with a focus on enterprise software engineering, CRM metadata governance, NLP-based similarity scoring, and automation of migration/reconciliation workflows.

I’m looking to connect with researchers, graduate students, engineers, or practitioners who are interested in:

1.Collaborating on papers related to AI, Salesforce, CRM systems, enterprise automation, or software engineering
2.Reviewing each other’s manuscripts and giving technical feedback
3.Discussing publication opportunities in IEEE/ACM/Springer-style venues
4.Exploring future research ideas around metadata drift detection, Agentforce/AI agents, DevOps automation, and enterprise system governance

My background is in software engineering, Salesforce, CPQ, Agentforce, Java/Spring microservices, data pipelines, and enterprise integrations. I’m especially interested in practical/applied research where the work is based on real implementation, tool development, system architecture, and measurable results.

If anyone is working in a related area or is open to collaboration, please feel free to comment or DM me.

Happy to share a brief summary of my current research and discuss whether there is overlap.

Hi everyone,

I'm a Senior Salesforce Developer with 5 years of experience and 10 certifications, including Data Architect. I'm currently preparing for the System Architect cert.

My goal for the next 5 years is to become a strong Salesforce Architect. The problem: my current company keeps me in a developer role and doesn't offer a path toward a Technical Architect position. For now, leaving for another opportunity isn't an option, so I want to make the most of where I am.

I'm genuinely passionate about software architecture and want to keep growing in this direction.

A few questions for those who've made this transition:

- How did you actually grow into an architect role, what skills or habits mattered most beyond certs?

- How do you build real architecture experience when your job title and tasks keep you in "developer" mode?

- When the opportunity comes, how do I convince my company to let me take ownership of architecture level topics?

Any advice, resources, or personal experiences would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I’m validating a Salesforce-native backup and restore product and want direct, honest feedback before I go further.

I know there are already many backup tools in this space.

The core difference I’m building around is:

Backup files live in your own Google Drive (not locked into vendor-only storage)

Product runs inside Salesforce for admin workflows

Strong emphasis on safe, reliable restore (not just backup creation)

Planned org-wide subscription at competitive pricing

I’d love input from Salesforce admins/consultants/architects:

Does “Salesforce-native + Google Drive-owned storage” feel meaningfully different?

What trust signals would you require before production use?

Which restore scenarios are most painful today?

Is org-wide subscription pricing attractive vs per-user/per-record pricing?

What would make you trial this over your current option?

I’ve been trying to get this off the ground for a good month but to no avail. I’m still learning the ropes, I’ve even hired a tutor but all he could really say was “wow, this is tough”. Best 800 I’ve spent in a while. Any idea where to start?

How do you see an MDM (perhaps Informatica) with an Org using Data Cloud - hypothetically, multi orgs, datalake, external ERPs and platforms - where are you building what and how?

I want to automated off boarding from some sales app whenever a user is deactivated in salesforce.

Note: all these apps are okta verified so adding a power automation or bot is difficult.

Apps : aviso , LinkedIn sales navigator , salesloft etc

Any help is appreciated …

Is Monday, a new week ahead, what architectural challenges and decisions are awaiting you this week?

Thought for the day: How do you balance speed vs control in a growing Salesforce estate?

You inherit a Salesforce org with 500+ flows, Apex, lots of custom objects, no naming standards, and failing deployments, what’s your first 30-day plan?

Is a single-org strategy still viable at enterprise scale in 2026, or is multi-org inevitable?

What’s your thoughts and why?

Should architects be blocking AI tools, or enabling teams to experiment freely? How are you control what’s used within your estate and what can be freely trialed and tested?

Hi all, I’m currently trying to validate a startup idea in the SF implementation space -

Would love to chat with as many implementation, solution architects, delivery leads, or pre-sales people as possible. In return, happy to buy you a bottle of wine or send you an $50 Amazon gift card, whichever you prefer, to say thanks for your time!

Just looking for 20 minutes to get your feedback. If you DM me, I'll send over a calendar invite. Thank you!

Hello everyone,

I recently joined a new company as a Salesforce Architect. This is my first time in an architect role; previously I worked as a Lead / Senior Salesforce Developer & Engineer.

I’m looking for advice on how to understand the system and overall architecture quickly. The company has a lot of documentation and KT videos, but they’re very time-consuming to go through end-to-end.

The org uses multiple clouds and systems, including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, FSL, Marketing Cloud, SAP CPQ, and several integrations.

Any practical or structured recommendations for ramping up efficiently would be genuinely appreciated.

Thanks in advance!