TOGAF Certification is considered by some as the passport to a dynamic and lucrative career.

That may well be so but many individuals considering this route often seek answers to some, or all, of the following basic questions before they decide to take the plunge.

•    How do I actually become TOGAF certified?
•    Will TOGAF certification be able to offer a favourable return on investment in terms of my future career prospects?
•    If I decide to enter for the TOGAF exam what opportunities will it offer me and with what type of organisations?
•    And if I get an Enterprise Architect (EA) job, what would my typical work profile be?

So how do you obtain TOGAF certification?

Basically, you have a choice of two different ways to achieve TOGAF certification.
The first is to sit an examination. The second choice is to attend a TOGAF course which usually lasts between 4 to 5 days. This time is spent studying all the necessary TOGAF certification material. At the end of the course, certification is awarded without the need to sit an examination

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Many people prefer TOGAF certification using the course method. However, the examination is believed to be relatively uncomplicated but, obviously, knowledge and adequate preparation will still be required to achieve a pass grade.

Will TOGAF certification provide a boost to my career and offer a healthy return on my investment?

Many who have earned TOGAF certification have stated that it has certainly enhanced their careers. According to recent feedback, when seeking a better position with a new company, having a TOGAF certification was definitely viewed as a most desirable asset.

But some previous experience as an Enterprise Architect was also considered as important. Apparently, simply holding certification may not be enough to land you that first EA position. Again, it is an example of a Catch 22 situation that is not easily remedied.

What opportunities will success at TOGAF certification offer you and who will be your likely employers?

It is still probably true that Enterprise Architecture remains quite a specialised area and only fairly large organisations would consider employing individuals in this field.

In many respects, Enterprise Architecture is still primarily concerned with the sensible allocation of funds to large IT projects so as to optimise long term results. And it is the larger organisations, often operating in different countries with varied systems, which are likely to be concerned with this kind of problem.

But many potential, major employers have a growing interest in EA at the present time.

With TOGAF certification (and a little experience) it would be possible to consider working for many of the high street retailers, banks, prime manufacturers and the EA consultancy networks. The latter, in particular, are expanding and it could be a ‘way in’ for some professionals who are looking to get started in this field.

If you secured an EA job what would your profile be?

This perhaps is the $64,000 question!

Enterprise Architecture is a broad church and can be interpreted in different ways.
However, the main approach seems to be a careful assessment of the current business architecture and then designing and planning for future requirements.

But a massive and important aspect of EA generally, is communicating effectively and managing to sell and promote your ideas.

There are essentially four specialised technology areas that TOGAF divides into specific EA areas. They are as follows and they not in any particular order of priority:

•    Enterprise Business Architects – concerned primarily with studying business processes, their design and optimization.
•    Enterprise Infrastructure Architect – focusing on server locations, operating systems, hardware, capacity and networks. This could also develop into an additional speciality of Security and Networking.
•    Enterprise Data Architects – dealing with all aspects of data requirements, such as placement, maintenance and reporting.
•    Enterprise Applications Architect – being concerned with the creation of strategic architectures with an emphasis on software applications and integrations.

Also, it is likely that improving the governance processes for IT spend planning, change management and architecture review boards would also form part of the general function.

It seems then that TOGAF certification can lead to responsibilities and tasks that would certainly be varied, challenging and stimulating in the EA role.