all it takes to become a developer is $ and connections to $ and the desire to low ball any and everything in the design and construction process to maximize your/your investors bottom line.
To answer your question, the skills learned by Architects in many cases do not receive full value or deep appreciation. Often, the build world sees Architects as vendors and not masters of design, development and construction. Many architects have sought to gain more control over their future by becoming Architect/Developers putting together Joint Venture Real Estate Developments. In this field, as Architect to Joint Venture Developer, For example, The REDI Foundation commends Jeff Pullman, Architect, and Certification Graduate, now developing a $14,000,000 net zero apartment development, earning an equity position in the development while the investor put up all of the $4,000,000 in equity capital required. See Jeff's work at http://www.redii.org/project.html