Web Architect

As a Web Architect at the mid level, you're transitioning from building web applications to designing how they should be built. You contribute to architectural decisions — framework selection, API design, database schema, caching strategies — while still maintaining hands-on development skills. You work under senior architects while developing your own design judgment.

Your role blends coding with design thinking. You might implement a component that demonstrates an architectural pattern, then document the pattern for the team, then review pull requests for architectural consistency, then participate in a design discussion about how to handle a new feature at scale. You need to see both the big picture (how systems connect) and the details (how specific implementations affect performance).

At the mid level, the learning curve is about developing architectural judgment — knowing when to reach for microservices vs. a modular monolith, when to add a caching layer, when a simple solution is better than an elegant one. This judgment comes from experience, reading, and mentorship from senior architects.