Why become a business analyst?
I am frequently asked in my workshops by students who intent to change their role why they should consider becoming a business analyst.
My answer to this question is simple- If you have ever dreamt of being in a leadership position or owning a business, then business analysis is the first logical step to turn that dream into reality. Being a customer facing role, it gives us immense opportunities to gain vast range of knowledge, skills and real-world experience very early in our career which expedited our growth into leadership roles.
For you to fall in love with Business Analysis, you should know what the role offers and then try to align it with your goals and interests. If your goals/interests are congruent to the role, you know that this role is for you.
As a Business Analyst you will be responsible for understanding business needs and building solutions that can address those needs. You need to constantly focus on the VALUE delivered to the customer. You will be responsible for end to end re quirements management in the project, coordinating with multiple stakeholders, solving conflicts and issues, teaching and prioritizing tasks.
If you are still unsure, do a self-assessment and ask yourself these questions:
- Do you like to collaborate and coordinate with multiple people?
- Do you like to solve problems?
- Are you a team player?
- Do you like to be in a front-line leadership position and drive the end-to-end product delivery?
- Do you like to help customers to achieve their business goals?
Minimum Requirements to become a Business Analyst
In the industry, you will find 2 kinds of roles- Functional BA and Technical BA.
- Technical BAs are tech graduates who have worked as programmer or engineer or having a computer science degree. They are hired in technically complex projects.
- Functional BA have an expertise in a particular sector like Banking, Insurance, Healthcare. So if you have worked in Banking Operations, Insurance Claim processing, Loans Settlement, etc you will be hired for that expertise and placed in a project that utilizes your knowledge of the domain.
Having said that, what if you don’t have domain knowledge or you have worked in a domain that is not very much in demand in the industry. No worries!
At Interactive Learning Solutions, we have coached even people coming with zero expertise and helped them start a career in Business Analysis. This was possible using the Zero-Tech Business Analysis Model. I have personally coached Police Officers, Teachers, Recruiters, Sales and Marketing professionals, graphic designers, event managers, students and even housewives. They are now working in different domains and product companies as Business Analysts. So, what is required to get you started using Zero-Tech Business Analysis – Good communication, problem solving and analytical skills and an open mindset to learn the skills required for the role.
Business analyst role has also been of demand due to the following reasons:
Fastest growing occupation:
Today companies across the world have realised the significance and potential of business analysis in projects. Hence new openings are available in abundance. In a competitive job market, this profile is expected to grow at 19% over the next 10 years.
Whooping Salary
The average salary of a business analyst in India is Rs. 6.75 lakh per annum. The top 10% earn more than Rs. 15 lakh per annum. Looking at the growing demands, the salary should continue to rise.
Mid career shift
This is one career that allows people from diverse backgrounds easily migrate and start a career in IT as a business analyst role and leverage their existing experience and skills.
No Automation
Automation is all around us now. Manual Testing is completely automated. Operations Support has been automated and so are many fields. But Don’t worry, Business Analysis cannot be automated. It requires human touch. We built customised solutions for our customers and every customer has a unique problem. One solution cannot fit all, so we are safe!