Maybe it's a crappy company giving feedback poorly, maybe you're misunderstanding what the position is. Solution architect (or solution-anything) positions are

Maybe it's a crappy company giving feedback poorly, maybe you're misunderstanding what the position is. Solution architect (or solution-anything) positions are very often not that technical and focus more on client relationships. So maybe they're seeing software engineering experience on your resume and none of the softer/relationship stuff which is most of the job. And don't get tripped up by the word architect in the title - solutions architect very often is not a senior role at all. I know many SAs with a couple of years of experience. So if we're talking about a not-all-that-technical role which doesn't require a lot of experience, the fact that you have 12 years of technical experience doesn't bring all that much. (Maybe you understand all of this and for some reason you really want such a job but for many people with your background it's almost like switching domains and maybe even taking a step back in seniority depending on what you do now)