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New Post 1/28/2008 8:16 PM
User is offline SC
20 posts
9th Level Poster


Career in BA 
Modified By SC  on 1/29/2008 10:26:59 AM)

 

 

I've decided at last to become a BA ... a new field to enter. Now here are the scenarios (in order) ...

  • Two years management (mainly product development) experience
  • Bachelor degree in Management Information Systems (MIS)
  • Master degree in Information Systems and eCommerce
  • Four months internship experience (during under grad) as a Systems Analyst (tele com and networking industry)
  • Four months internship experience (during master degree) as a Data Analyst (health care industry)
  • Two years part time computer lab associate experience (telecom and networking)
  • One year experience (present) in sales (retail industry).
  • Education knowledge covers basic UML, SDLC, Project management (MS-Project), MS-Office, MS-Visio, basic SAS (GUI systems), SPSS, Statistics, Telecom and Networking, Database management, and Data mining
  • Internship experiences provides on-hand knowledge (which are mainly required in BA)
  • Other experiences (management and sales) provides communication  skill and understanding of business needs

My questions are ... A) what are the possibilities that I'm heading to right direction to choose to be a BA? B) What obstacles are on the way that I need to prepare for the interview? C) Which level and sector should I start looking for now to optimize my chances? D) is there anything am I missing?

By the way, I'm in Toronto, Canada ... had my education from the USA !

Thank you all for any feedback !

 

 
New Post 1/30/2008 12:02 PM
User is offline Chris Adams
323 posts
5th Level Poster






Re: Career in BA 
Modified By Chris Adams  on 3/3/2008 6:03:36 PM)

Hi Newbie,

Given what you have been doing in sales the transition may be a little difficult at first.  If I read your experience correctly, you haven't really worked in a technical role too much as a fulltime job (two years management in product developement - I'm assuming the product wasn't a system...I could be wrong).

Your challenge is going to be getting that first position. 

First, you should be looking for a Jr. Analyst role.  You have a lot of transferrable skills and you can probably climb the ranks rather quickly once you get into that first position, but right now I think you will be hard pressed to land a more senior role.

You should play up all of your eduction, the interships and any other technical knowledge you have.  Also specifically draw attention to your transferrable skills.  You must be a good communicator if you have been working in sales and management. 

Finally, a requirements gathering course could really help catch the eye of a hiring manager.


Chris Adams
Core Member – ModernAnalyst.com
LinkedIn Profile
 
New Post 2/4/2008 11:08 AM
User is offline SC
20 posts
9th Level Poster


Re: Career in BA 

 

Thank you Chris  for your response and advices !

 This is the roadmap I've ...
 
- Review my course works
- Learn as much as possible from all resources (By the way, love this forum ... it has enormous info and resources ... however, right at this moment, I'm not planning to take any certifications or course work ... those are really expensive))
- As you mentioned too, apply for Junior BA position
- Reorganize my resume that will fit for a Junior BA candidate
 
Any further suggestions from anyone will highly be appreciated.

Know again, I'm in Toronto, Canada.

 

 
New Post 2/6/2008 9:44 AM
User is offline SC
20 posts
9th Level Poster


Re: Career in BA 

 

Ok, here is another question ...

How difficult will it be to apply for even "Junior" BA position without having any knowledge and experience in programming languages (IT) .. I do have "basic" knowledge in SQL. What is the better way to meet the situation for interview /  resume instead? Any open suggestions?

 

 
New Post 2/6/2008 11:40 AM
User is offline David Wright
141 posts
www.iag.biz
7th Level Poster




Re: Career in BA 

 newbie wrote

 

Ok, here is another question ...

How difficult will it be to apply for even "Junior" BA position without having any knowledge and experience in programming languages (IT) .. I do have "basic" knowledge in SQL. What is the better way to meet the situation for interview /  resume instead? Any open suggestions?

 

Although I am a BA who started as a programmer, I don't think all BA's started that way; many migrate over from the business side of a company, for example. If a position you are looking at as a BA asks for programming experience/skills, that should be a red flag, they probably want you do everything(!).

Given that a lot of BA's do start in the 'business', what are the opportunities (if any) where you are now? Try to get on  an IT project as a business participant, where it would be very likely you would work with Business Analysts; learn from the experience, and make sure the PM or other involved IT Manager knows you are interested in becoming a BA, and do apply to any BA jobs that come up at your company.

Other than that, the earlier suggestion of taking some recognized training is a good one; it could be pricey (never paid for training, myself) but its an 'investment' that might work for you. Check out iiba.com for training vendors...

 


David Wright
 
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