I attended a class last week on “Mastering Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with UML 2.0.” This training gave me a chance to step back from Web site development and instead focus on the vocabulary and diagram standards which model software requirements and design.

This is a skillset I’ve wanted to cultivate for some time and the class happened to coincide with three other events:

• O’Reilly released a new book in its highly-touted “Head First” series, “Head First Object-Oriented Analysis & Design,” which I hope to get my hands on soon to reinforce what I learned in the class.
• IBM Rational launched version 7 of its Software Development Platform, which includes significant updates to Rational Application Developer and Rational Software Modeler.
• I passed the Sun Certified Web Component Developer exam, which is a prerequisite for Sun’s Enterprise Architect certification.

So, with these new resources and milestones in tow I intend to take some real steps away from an IT Specialist role towards an IT Architect career path.

Wish me luck :)