Business Analyst career path.

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ChrisThomas

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So I am 19 and I have now been working as a BA for 6 months, what I would like to know is, is this a good career path?

I know how to do my job and I'm doing very well but I am just not all that clued up on these jobs in general, will I always be able to find a job?

I'm currently working on implementing a very large financial institution's workflow solutions.

Any other BA's got any stories/advice?
 
There is currently a high demand for BA's in SA, getting a job shouldn't be a problem for the foreseeable provided you have good qualifications and experience behind you. In terms of career growth, you can make a career out of being a business analyst, with being a junior, intermediate and senior BA. Each comes with its own set of responsibilities e.g a senior BA will be leading a team of BAs, while the junior guys will do all the legwork in terms of writing documents etc. At this point in your career I recommend working on as many different projects as you can to built up experience.

In terms of a career outside of being a BA, I see many BA's take the plunge and become Project Managers. This is a completely different job from being a BA and is not a natural progression in your career. Many BAs do it though. One can also move up into management where the analytic skills can have a positive impact. However I have seen that it is sometimes difficult to leave behind the detailed way of thinking and become focused on the bigger picture as required in a management position.

My personal experience of being a BA is not that great as I am already bored of the job after 2 years doing it, there is too much repetition involved which does not work well with my personality. Almost all major institutions require BAs and there will always be jobs out there in the field, especially if you are great at what you do!
 
19 and you are a Business Analyst? At what age did you graduate? What did you study?
 
stixx said:
However I have seen that it is sometimes difficult to leave behind the detailed way of thinking and become focused on the bigger picture as required in a management position.
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This.

I have seen managers that have a technical mindset and couldn't couldn't care less about managing people...This falls into the category of Technical leaders, not managers. They only got a management position because of their deep system knowledge.

Then we actually have good managers that know how to manage people.
 
19 and a BA... You are very lucky. Most companies want a hon and a few years experience.

The BA role has levels and lots of growth. As mention before you can also go the PM route or Solution / Enterprise architecture...
 
F1 Fan said:
19 and you are a Business Analyst? At what age did you graduate? What did you study?
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You don't need a tertiary qualification to become a BA, I have worked with people like that. What you do need is some luck and possibly a good understanding of processes/systems.

CamiKaze said:
This.

I have seen managers that have a technical mindset and couldn't couldn't care less about managing people...This falls into the category of Technical leaders, not managers. They only got a management position because of their deep system knowledge.

Then we actually have good managers that know how to manage people.
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This is from experience :P My PM is an ex-BA and she is a micromanager of note!
 
MartyMarts said:
:erm:



:erm: x 2
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^This.

I’ve been a BA for 5 years in the ecommerce / financial space and I'm in a senior position.

The BA space right now is doing very well. There is a high demand for analytical thinkers and BA’s fill that role very well. There are different levels of BA, junior (which I assume you are), intermediate and Senior. You could also become a BA lead. The next level up could be Technical Programme Manager and then if you really want to specialize, Enterprise Architect. Enterprise Architects usually report directly to CTO / CIO / COO so that would be the next level. Our current CTO was a BA before, that’s definitely where I’d like to be in 10 years.

As mentioned previously, some BA's do become PM’s but it’s a completely different job. Recently I’ve noticed some BA’s that have moved in to the Scrum Master space, this is an easier transition, especially if you have worked in AGILE for a while.
 
YingYang said:
I can tell you know, it gets boring quite quickly
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It depends on where you work though. My peers at other companies suffer from that. They "Specialise" in one area only, eg requirements only, processes only, for the same dam thing day in and day out. I can see why they are bored.

I enjoy my work, I start at the begining of the SDLC and I love it. Each project is different and I get to apply various methodologies and skills dependant on the project.
 
josh_lister said:
I'm nearly 23, have an informatics degree, and you're already ahead of me.. How is this possible
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It's a sad reality...I know. I learned to make peace with it, it's the best thing that you can do for yourself.
 
josh_lister said:
I'm nearly 23, have an informatics degree, and you're already ahead of me.. How is this possible
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CamiKaze said:
It's a sad reality...I know. I learned to make peace with it, it's the best thing that you can do for yourself.
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The degree will help you in the long term, in the short term you will be behind. A lot of the career advancement actually has nothing to do with your education, networking plays a massive role especially in a corporate.
 
OP go have a look at any career/job seeker websites and search for Business Analyst jobs, you will see there is a big demand but most are also looking for some sort of tertiary qualification (Information Systems, Computer Science, etc). I suggest you enroll for a degree/diploma and complete it, even if you do it part time. It will help you in the long run unless you have connections or are an amazing networker. UNISA offers a degree in Business Information Systems that you can do part time if you are interested.
 
I also find it hard to believe that you can be a BA at 19.

There is an institution called the FTI, which has some BA course that is actually recognised(worldwide,if I am not mistaken).

Also there is the IIBA that offers CCBA and CBAP certifications. But these are not easily obtained and require a massive amount of experience even before you can begin their course.
 
I know this is ridiculously late but I thought I would clear up some confusion. I left school when I was 16 after completing the necessary IGCSE qualifications through a Cambridge International School to get into the College of my choice, where I studied java for a Year and then hated it with a passion. I then went on to manage a large garden center for a year (worst bloody year of my life but I needed a job) and then landed the position as a Junior Business Analyst, where I impressed people so I was sort of "Promoted" into being just a "Business Analyst" I'm also finding myself getting quite bored, this August will be 1 year, and I'm kind of done with it, but I do still ejoy my job. I know I am very lucky to have what I have at such a young age. I'm very grateful.
 
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