How to Become a Successful J2EE Architect

This a question I have been asked numerous times and I thought I would jog down some thoughts and advice, based on personal experience:

In order to become successful and thrive in software development or information technology business, one must have a passion for learning and welcoming and meeting the challenges of identifying and solving complex business problems. Notice I didn't say technical problems, I said BUSINESS problems, because technology at its own right, provides no value. Technology is just a tool and we are the enabler to help business to become more efficient, more focused, and more profitable.

This is also a hard business and one will be left behind if one can't keep up with the latest technologies. Ask yourself, why did you get in IT? Is it the money, the glamour? Are you excited to go to work in the morning? How many technical books do you usually read in a month? How many industry magazines do you glance in a week? Do you contribute to open source? Do you work during off hours because you love it or it is just a chore?

If your answer is not a firm "yes" to the majority of the above questions, I could recommend making a career change, as the offshore outsourcing will make "pure" coder obsolete.