A good programmer with lots of experiences in building software solutions should already know about the ins and outs of a system. If you are a Junior programmer , your first target is to gain experiences in coding to become a senior programmer, and eventually become a lead. A lead / senior programmer is a pillar from line management. They already know how technology works, how integration works, and all about software development life cycle, best practices & patterns. Without these fundamental concepts , becoming a software architect will lead you to become a scrum master. In short, if you are a programmer, that’s a very good news. Be a very good programmer & keep learning about cutting edging technologies. As an architect , you are expected to be a technically ‘know all’ person!