I am a mid level IT lead at a IT support company with 8 years of experience. I don't get a lot of opportunities to learn at my organization since we primarily support existing systems and just fix issues arising on a day to day basis, We are not expected by the parent company to develop solutions from scratch. I aspire to become an Architect. Please guide me how should I plan to acquire the required skills and Knowledge esp since my company doesn't provide me with the right opportunities. The city where i am in doesn't have a lot of s/w development companies they are mostly services companies.

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Thanks a lot for your replies. Please give me some directions on how do I plan the self learning process ? Personal commitment won't let me move out of my current capacity to join a entry level job outside as of now . Atleast I should be well prepared to grab the opportunity when the time comes.