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New Post 7/24/2012 2:20 PM
User is offline MrArr0gant
2 posts
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I want to be an analyst and/or consultant 
Modified By MrArr0gant  on 7/24/2012 4:21:10 PM)

Hello! My name is Martin and I am from Chicago. I graduated last year with a BS in Accounting. I am currently looking any accounting job, but I'm positive I only want to do 2-5 years of it at the most, lol. I am a CPA candidate and I have two internship experiences: one acccounting internship at a DBE governmental consulting firm and a credit analyst internship at a middle sized bank. I would like to get into a position as a financial analyst, business analyst, or consultant.

What paths do you guys recommend to get to these desired destinations?

 
New Post 7/25/2012 6:20 AM
User is offline Adrian M.
764 posts
3rd Level Poster




Re: I want to be an analyst and/or consultant 

Hi Martin,

Welcome to the Modern Analyst community!

Since you are fresh out of school, I would say you should get your 2-5 years of accunting experience under your belt so that you strengthen the competencies you got in school.  At the same time, you get yourself some business analysis training (requirements elicitation, business modeling, etc.)

If you have he opportunity to get involved in transformation projects which modify the business processes or technology you should volunteer to help.

Adrian


Adrian Marchis
Business Analyst Community Blog - Post your thoughts!
 
New Post 8/21/2012 10:17 PM
User is offline Esta
4 posts
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Re: I want to be an analyst and/or consultant 
Modified By Adrian M.  on 8/24/2012 8:47:27 AM)

Hi there,

You do have good foundation and after working in financial services for 2.5 years or so will stand you in good stead to transition to become a BA. It is a good idea to start becoming familiar with what it is all about to be a BA so that you can potentially start doing some of those types of tasks as you gain your initial experience. You will most likely get involved with projects anyway and therefore a good basic understanding of what business analysis is all about now, is a wise plan. I include some more practical ideas and tips for how to go about this below. I also include my website address, it contains a lot of BA career specific advice and also looks at what types of courses to look for. It is not a site that is trying to sell you a course or anything, it is focussed on helping aspiring BA's like yourself to get started on the right path. Enjoy!

How to become a Business Analyst?

Get the foundation business analysis concepts understood.

You should start reading up on Business Analysis (yes, this site is a good place to start!) and get yourself familiar with the overall role and purpose of the business analyst.

If you are able to sign up for a classroom based, digital or online course in one of the foundation type BA course, then that is a great next step. It is sometimes better to get some exposure to business analysis in the workplace before going for course, but it is not that important.

Attend Business Analysis networking events, mingle with the right people!

Go to local and international Business Analysis seminars and conferences.


Get some practical experience in perform business analysis tasks.

There are various avenues for you to follow to get yourself into a situation where you can get some practical business analysis experience.

Some people use their existing career subject matter expertise to go onto projects as a subject matter expert who will work closely with a business analyst. This is a great way to get into it hands-on because you are effectively 'job shadowing' someone.

There are job opportunities out there for Business Analysts who have a strong knowledge in a specific subject area. Once you have done some courses and research you could try apply for a junior BA role where your subject matter expertise is in high demand. Make sure you write your cover letter to suit Business Analysis.

Start telling people around you that this is what you would like to do with your career, the word will spread and an opportunity might come up.

If you are lucky enough to be on a project already, start volunteering to partake in business requirements gathering and documentation activities. This is a great way to get your hands dirty and gaining credible practical experience.

Go talk to a career coach that specialises in Business Analysis to put together a transition plan for your career change. This is a sure way to excellerate your transition to Business Analysis.

Good luck!
Esta Lessing

 

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New Post 8/22/2012 5:18 AM
User is offline Anthony Chen
63 posts
8th Level Poster


Re: I want to be an analyst and/or consultant 

 Martin, try doing some searches for product management instead of business analyst. In many cases BAs do the same/similar job to  product management, but somehow the job has a lot more cachet. Take a look at this article about google's associate product manager role. Also historically microsoft hired students fresh out of school to be product managers. The one thing product managers do beyond what a business analyst would do is market research.

I disagree that working as an accountant for a few years is necessary or important to being  a business analyst unless you want to be a business analyst in a financial industry. Even then, while helpful, it isnt necessary. Understanding software development would help a lot though.

http://www.wired.com/business/2012/07/marissas-secret-weapon-for-recruiting-new-yahoo-talent/

 
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