Forums for the Business Analyst

 
  Modern Analyst Forums  Careers  Getting Started  Need Advice
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
New Post 12/2/2008 11:19 PM
User is offline Naveen
4 posts
No Ranking


Need Advice 

Hi,

  right now i am working as a "Software Engineer" in  Bangalore, India. i have been thinking of getting into this field for the past 3 months. 1st i thought i could do a BA course through a IIBA endorsed education provider, found out that the fees is too high. next i tried to get into my company as a BA, it turns out dat my company does not have a BA position at all. when i look for oppurtunities outside d company i see that all the ads are for experienced BA's only. its really frustrating . can anybody suggest what i need to do.

also if somebody knows an opening in India for my experience, please do let me know.

thanks a lot, in advance

 

 
New Post 12/3/2008 11:54 PM
User is offline Guy Beauchamp
257 posts
www.smart-ba.com
5th Level Poster




Re: Need Advice 

Hi Naveen,

Getting the first role as a BA is always the most frustrating one to get! I would suggest 2 things you can do:

1. migrate in to the role in your current company - a BA is defined by what they do not what they are called and there is nothing to stop you analysing requirements for projects: it will deliver benefits and who knows: you could convince your company they need BAs! The thing is, the BA role is being done (has to be in order for you to be able to engineer your software: you have to know what the users want engineered), so you can try and formalise that a bit. Forget about changing your job role for the moment, but start producing change requirements documents for user review that define the software and business requirements (and how they work together to deliver the solution). Once you have a track record for adding benefit to projects in this manner, then start making the case for establishing a BA function.

2. If you do everything in step 1 but your company still says "thanks but no thanks" you can rework your cv to show that even though your title was software engineer, you were doing BA job and work, and as such are now an experienced BA. You can then apply for jobs requiring BA experience with confidence. When you get to this point I owuld happily review your CV and offer suggestions for slanting it to show your BA expertise.

I don't think certification will help you at this stage in your career but you should certainly read up on BA theory (just the fundamentals of Business Analysis not all the fashionable and esoteric stuff, that is don't learn any particular method or approach cos they just come and go - there is a lot of freely available literature on this site and elsewhere concerned with just doing analysis such as the IIBA BABOK) and consider training - there are resources for that on this site here and mine.

Hope the above helps.

Regards,

Guy

 
New Post 12/4/2008 10:05 PM
User is offline Adrian M.
764 posts
3rd Level Poster




Re: Need Advice 

Getting started as a Business Analyst can be challenging at times.  The reality is that it is not different than other professions.  Take nursing, for example - in order to become a nurse you have to go to school and learn the trade and get a degree/certification.  And yes that can cost money!

It is not possible to become a BA overnight!

However, the good news is that there are many ways to become a BA and you just need to pursue the option which best suits your situation, desires, and  career goals:

  • Get a degree (BS or MS) in business analysis (if one is offered in your area) and begin work as a junior BA,
  • If you have development/programming experience then consider moving into systems analysis first as a stepping stone towards a full BA career,
  • For those who have business experience in a particular vertical domain, offer to become an SME (subject matter expert) for a technology project,
  • Get an MBA degree and look for a job with one of the management consulting firms as an entry level consultant (which is really a junior BA position),
  • Attend a series of training courses offered by the many BA training companies.

Hope this helps!

- Adrian


Adrian Marchis
Business Analyst Community Blog - Post your thoughts!
 
Previous Previous
 
Next Next
  Modern Analyst Forums  Careers  Getting Started  Need Advice

Community Blog - Latest Posts

Fabricio Laguna talks Business Analysis and AI
I recently connected with Fabricio Laguna, aka The Brazilian BA. Fabricio is a passionate and pioneering business analyst from Brazil. During our conversation, we had a thought-provoking discussion on how artificial intelligence stands to shape the field of business analysis in the years ahead. While AI promises to transform many aspects of busines...
Business Architecture, Ontology and More with Terry Roach
It's been a privilege meeting Terry Roach, a visionary in the field of enterprise architecture and business architecture. Terry's insights into the evolution of business models, the importance of ontology in architecture, and the potential of AI to shape our future were not only thought-provoking but also a reflection of his extensive exper...
Today I had the pleasure of chatting to Jignesh Jamnadas, Chief Operations Officer at Mosaic, about his Blueprints for Success. As a Senior Finance and Operations Executive, Jigs (as he is known to many) has a holistic understanding of all facets of business and a flair for managing both people and processes. Having worked with Jigs, I was struc...

 



Upcoming Live Webinars




 

Copyright 2006-2024 by Modern Analyst Media LLC