TOGAF is by far the most known Enterprise Architecture certificate. As it has already been developed in the 90s, it is often perceived as outdated and having a low market value – especially given the fast developments that there are within IT nowadays. It is only natural that many professionals ask themselves whether TOGAF is still a good choice or not. Let´s explain arguments for and against a high market value of TOGAF and analyze the areas content, certification, industry expectations, and salary impact. But first, here is the overview of what I have found:
TOGAF Content
Becoming TOGAF certified is surely helpful for developing a broad knowledge in the area of Enterprise Architecture, as the TOGAF Standard covers a wide range of topics. Generally, learning and knowing the content will enrich your work and help you to align with most Enterprise Architects that you might meet.
However, what the certification will not provide you with is the knowledge about modern Enterprise Architecture practices. Neither will it provide you with the experience of an Enterprise Architect, which is by far the most important aspect for an Enterprise Architecture position. But what about the particular frameworks and content that TOGAF provides?
The beauty of these frameworks is their generic nature. They talk a lot about views, viewpoints, and ways to simplify the reality in order to make it understandable – from different perspectives. They also talk about the generic approach from identifying what you have today, where you want to be, what is the gap, how to get there, and how to achieve and keep that. They also talk about libraries for different documents, about useful templates, and about stakeholders and parties that have relevance for enterprise architecture.
