I've worked in places where "architect" was nothing more than a title given to senior developers to soothe their egos so they didn't notice they were underpaid.

I've worked in places where "architect" was nothing more than a title given to senior developers to soothe their egos so they didn't notice they were underpaid. I've all seen architects who didn't code, preferring their ivory towers of UML diagrams. Neither of these types are effective. A real software architect is a force multiplier: you help teams be more productive through your contributions, be it design, code, mentoring or leadership. Rather than being the team showboat, a good architect is the guy that helps everyone else be even better at their jobs.