What do you need to become a business analyst?

DissonantData

So far, I have a business degree and an A+ cert and I have been doing IT support as an intern for about six months. Business analysis seems to be a likely option given my qualifications at this time. Should I obtain more CompTIA certs or should I do something else, such as learning SQL or finding a job as a bank teller and working my way into a higher position?

techfiend

Which one between SQL and bank teller interests you more? Business Analyst is such a broad spectrum that there's many ways to come in from. I know a business systems analyst that works on sql and postgresql all day for a large national bank, he came from software development and never worked for the bank prior to this position.

N2IT

Every BA position I have ever held has led me to MS Access databases. The days of gathering requirements and dumping them off seem to be disappearing rather quickly. Now they expect you to build proof of concepts prior to development, with the hopes of utilizing the tool until the developers have times during their cycles to build out the enterprise version of your applications.

I think in order to be a good BA though, you need to understand the business. So to your point I think being a bank teller is not a bad start.

I collected data for 6 months at one of my positions to understand the challenges etc that came with the operation. It was the best move I made, I knew so much about the challenges and the exploits I became a huge asset to the company.

Unlike IT it's critical to find a niche such as banking and stick with it. Bouncing industries as a BA is a death sentence.

GL

DissonantData

Thanks for the answers. I needed to find an entry level position where I can interact with customers so I considered becoming a bank teller. I heard from a guy that the BAs and Project Managers he works with have sales experience, so I was also considering becoming a sales analyst. Knowledge of advanced Excel (vlookup, pivot tables) is required these days if you want to work in sales and I would learn more SQL along with that. Other technologies I can learn include Sharepoint, Visio, and possibly Oracle.

What master's degree should I get? I think an MS in MIS or in Data Analytics would be a useful thing to have. I am not interested in development at this time, but I am analytical. Should I avoid CompTIA certifications and instead go for things such as ITIL or CAPM?

N2IT

Your eyes are too wide you need to narrow your scope.

Even if you wanted to you could not possibly learn all of those skills and technologies on your own time. Pick something you enjoy and leverage it. You are making this harder than it really is.

I honestly don't see the point in getting the CAPM which is a project management certification or the ITIL foundation which is a service management certification if you want to be BA. While some of those skills can cross over they can be picked up from reading a book or experience in the workplace. I don't believe either one of those would help you secure a BA position. With that said, A Master degree would absolutely help you get picked up. I see it first hand all the time.

The two you mentioned would be good ones I also think MBA, Mathematics, Stats, Informatics, Data, Accounting, Economics, Health Care, can all help depending on which route you choose.

However, not once did you mention what you enjoyed just what you didn't. Until you figure that out you'll continue to ask these questions.

GL

anoeljr

I'm not a BA, but that's what I'm trying to transition into. Listen to N2IT. He's been in the field a long time and he has great advice.

techfiend

Data analytics is probably a better fit then MIS but either is sufficient. Why not an MBA?

Project+ is the only relevant comptia cert, I don't know if it's good or not.

N2IT

I have the Project + certification and it has never helped me land a job, at least not that I am aware of. Honestly none of my certifications have when applying for a BA role. *** Maybe because I don't have any BA certifications.

If you want to get a certification and you want to be a BA when you grow up, why not get a BA certification?

That makes the most sense to me.

DissonantData

It's too early in my career to figure out what I can or can't enjoy in the long run, but the topics which I have been successful at in college were financial management, TCP/IP, statistics, and database management systems (querying, but programming not so much).

I would like to know if there are any good BA certifications, but it doesn't seem like there are many available. Many BAs have MBAs, but since I don't really have enough work experience I am not sure if it's worthwhile. I like to study subjects that can carry over to various fields. Business analysis or data analysis can be done in various industries, such as finance, healthcare, and IT. An entry level finance role where I work with excel can potentially set me up for becoming a BA in the future.

DissonantData

I just want to give an update. Over the past year I have been working as a data analyst. I was initially doing data cleansing, but I started writing SQL queries as time went by. I am now being given tasks which involve gathering requirements and figuring out how to add value to the business. I've noticed the other analysts utilize Excel often, but I work more with SQL than they do. I should be able to dive deeper into business (systems) analysis and project management as I get more experience.

Caiyenne

DissonateData, I work as a Business Analyst for a large company. Someone mentioned up-thread, and I have found it to be very true, is the fact that the role of Business Analyst is very broad. In some companies the role is requires SQL skills and in others it does not. The most common denominator I have found for all Business Analyst is MS Excel. Since different companies use different data warehouses, you'll need to be adept at learning whatever databases your company uses and be able to extract that data to present it to those you serve in a useful way.

In my role, knowing how to create/manipulate pivot tables, knowing how to use vlookups (eliminates the need to use Access) and having taught myself Excel VBA have been the three most useful skills I could have in this job. I report to the VP of Sales for my division however because word got out about how I am able to create useful output, I create custom reports and forms for many other departments: QA, Operations, Production Planning, Marketing etc. I usually use some form of pivot table and create macros to automate the update process.

My interest lies in software development however, so now I'm finishing up a degree with Western Governors (BS IT - Software). Through them I have Net+, Sec+ and Project+ certs. The general knowledge is useful but they haven't contributed much in my current role. Western Governors recently started new program called BS Data Management/Data Analytics. That program seems geared toward someone who is interested in organizing and analyzing data. The two big certs for that program are Oracle DB certs. Everything you learn with them can be self taught.

Remedymp

The CCBA and the CBAP would be beneficial.