Enterprise architects usually do not work at large enterprises, but consult to them. In consulting you typically would have risen through the dev stages (junior

Enterprise architects usually do not work at large enterprises, but consult to them. In consulting you typically would have risen through the dev stages (junior 1st year, medior 2nd-3rd, senior from 2nd or 3rd onwards (ikr), then onto solution architect (tech lead on small projects ~300k), a few technical analyst team roles on large projects (several M$), experience in a key role in such a project such as Lead Integration Architect, en then onto Enterprise Architect jobs. Note that for anything beyond the solution architect stage your political and managerial skills will become as or even more important than your technical progression. Alternatively you could be the tech person in a 2 man startup that lucks onto success and grab onto your seat in a wild ride and just never let go.