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5 Steps to Achieve Your Perfect Business

Analyst Career
Tuesday 8, June
2021

In a rapidly changing world, companies need business analysts on their team to better position for a future
market. Most people are considering a business analyst career for the value that they create and the prestige
of it being an on-demand skill. This article is a detailed guide on how to start a business analyst career and
achieve it in a stellar style. 

Is business analyst a good career? 

Business is changing and companies are adapting. It’s hard to choose what to drop or keep in response to
these changes. For this reason, they hire business analysts to review existing models, identify
improvements, and resolve problems that the business may face as they venture into the future. 

With an average salary of $85,250 per annum, business analysts earn a decent wage with variance on
individual career paths. Some business analyst career paths demand a salary above $100,000 per year but
that does require more understanding of data security. Nevertheless, BAs are one of the most demanded
professionals in the United States. 

It’s a good thing to be wanted, especially with business analyst skills. However, there are certain business
analyst challenges that you must consider when deciding whether or not this is a good career for you. 

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Business analyst career challenges 

As a BA, you possess some level of influence over a company’s growth as Scott Ambler wrote in his article.
This causes the progress of certain projects to hinge on you. Of course, this sounds like a cool thing but with
power come great responsibilities as well as resistance. 

Regarding resistance, stakeholders can get reluctant at approving your ideas. Some of them may be too
attached to a business model to accept its irrelevance to the company’s future. Others may be pessimistic
about funding a new, innovative idea. These things can get in the way of achieving a frictionless Business
Analyst career. Though, every career comes with its set of challenges. 

Furthermore, your scope of work may be misconstrued while you build a business analysis career.
Notwithstanding, this can be resolved by clearly understanding what your responsibilities are in a company
and holding up your part. No career progress is set in stone. So, your flexibility would be an invaluable asset. 

Despite these challenges that hover around business analysts’ careers, professionals in this field enjoy a
broad range of benefits. 

The benefits of being a business analyst 

Job availability is one of the unrivaled benefits of choosing the career path of a business analyst. IBM
predicted that there will be over 2.7 million jobs in the United States for people with data analysis skills.
Being a BA puts you on top of that employment chain. For BAs alone, there are over a million jobs available in
the labor market. So, being needed is a good thing, for sure. 

If you’re someone that seeks adventure and thrives in a changing workspace, a business analyst career will
be an interesting pursuit for you. Every day as a BA is exciting with new challenges and different problems to
solve. As industries and markets change daily, so does your job. Therefore, you can rest assured that you
won’t be buried incorporate routine tasks. 

Furthermore, the level of independence that a BA enjoys when working with companies is admirable. Your
job will entail working with management at different levels. So, it’s near impossible for you to get
micromanaged. As a BA, you are trusted and given the authority to perform your job each day. Well, of
course, you must show results. 

A business analyst career is fast-paced nonetheless. You will find yourself moving through ranks very
quickly. And having direct access to industry trends and information about the future directions, you can
better position yourself for a better business analyst career growth. 

The business analyst career paths 

For a person pursuing a business analyst career, the options are broad and the opportunities are limitless.
Some of the paths to consider in your BA career are succinctly discussed below. 

Business data analyst 

These are analysts that visualize data representations through charts. They analyze market trends and
predict future market behaviors to better help companies position themselves for a changing industry. 

Business data scientist 

This BA career path requires a deep understanding of statistics and Machine Learning. The challenges of
business data scientists are more intense than a visualizer. They are required to collect, organize, and use
data to improve a company’s service offer. Nevertheless, Business Data Science is a part of the much broader
field of Data Science. 

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Business analyst manager 

As a BA manager, you are responsible for hiring and overseeing a company’s analytics team. So, this role
requires some level of leadership skills. Nevertheless, a broad understanding of business analysis will enable
the management of the analysts within your report. 

IT business analyst 
Analyzing the information technology within an industry or market is important for tech companies. As an
IT business analyst, you will have to work on several projects and multiple operating systems to bring the
company into a solid position in the IT space. 

Information security analyst 

Companies are more careful of cybercrime than the American government is careful of trade wars. The
security of customer information and continued compliance with data protection and privacy laws is crucial
to a company's reputation and overall success. As an InfoSec analyst, finding new ways to keep both
company and consumer data secure is within your scope of work. 

5 steps to achieve a perfect business analyst career 

Now that you know the available career paths of a business analyst, where and how do you start your career? 

Here are five steps to pull through from a simple no-nothing novice to a major player in the field. 

1. Earn a relevant degree 

There is no rigid undergraduate discipline that trains students for a business analyst career. However,
companies prefer to hire entry-level BAs with some business background. So, preference is often given to
graduates of business-related courses like business administration, business information system, human
resources, accounting, and finance. 

2. Get a master’s degree in business 

The good thing about getting a master’s degree in business is that people with an undergraduate degree in
other non-business fields can earn one. Degrees like Master in Business Administration (MBA) and Master in
Business Information Systems (MBIS) can be earned by even medical doctors and rocket scientists. So,
whether you have an undergraduate background in business or not, the opportunity of building a business
analyst career doesn’t elude you. 

3. Gain work experience 

Review the business analyst career paths and find the one that you’re best suited for. Pursue opportunities
and submit applications to job openings. Getting a job as a BA comes with its challenges, although the market
is more favorable than in other fields. 

After landing a job, invest your time into acquiring good experience from superior business analysts. Build
your path towards becoming a subject matter expert (SME) in the field. 

4. Take professional exams and earn certifications 

Professional exams help you stand out from the crowd of mid-level business analysts. Some BA professional
exams require you to have some years of experience like the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP)
certification offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis. Nevertheless, you can take
professional exams and earn accredited amateur certifications earlier in your business analysis career. This

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can set you up for rapid BA career growth. The Tableau Certified Associate course, for example, can help you
prepare for a career in business data analysis. 

5.Improve your skill, knowledge, and network 

There’s the saying that, “what got you here won’t take you any further.” To ensure sustainable growth, you
have to continuously improve your business analyst qualities, learn better ways to get the job done and
network with great people within the field. You can find great opportunities for growth and career
advancements within those networks. 

Goals to measure for sustainable business analyst career growth 

As someone willing to reach the heights in business analysis, you need to set high, but realistic, business
analyst career goals for yourself. Some of the goals to focus on as you climb the ladder to a perfect career are
discussed briefly. 

Flawless communication skills 

As a business analyst, your ability to communicate your findings effectively both through words, charts,
diagrams, images, and all other communication means possible can set you up for quick growth. When it
comes to communication, improving both your written and public speaking abilities is crucial. 

Charts, images, and infographics are essential parts of a business analyst’s career. To better communicate
through this graphical representation of data, you need to consider improving your data visualization skills. 

Smart problem solving ability 

Problem solving is at the core of the business analysis. The ability to detect imminent and avoidable
problems from a given set of data and proffering smart and effective ways to solve them is the holy grail of
business analysis. As a BA, actively work towards improving this ability. 

Learn to use new technologies 

In your BA career, you will need to use various computer operating systems, especially for an IT business
analyst. However, there are some general tools that every BA must use proficiently. Tableau, for example, is
important for presenting and organizing data as well as forecasting future market trends. 

A stronger relationship with stakeholders 

Whether you built your entire career in one company or you’re a typical job-hopping Millennial, a better
people skill can help you build strong relationships with stakeholders faster. Improved stakeholder-BA
relationship will reduce the resistance you face on your way up the career ladder. 

Conclusion 
Building a perfect business analyst career does take time. Preparedness with the right qualifications and
focus on relevant goals can get you sooner than anything else. However, it’s excusable that not everyone has
the required background. You can begin setting yourself up today and build the background needed for a
career tomorrow. Our Tableau Certified Associate course is designed to help those considering a business
analyst career understand data visualization and analysis. Also, growing business analysts need advanced
data analysis skills. This Tableau Certified Professional course is well structured to take you to the next level
in your BA career. Like what you just read? Subscribe to our newsletter now to get more insights like this in
your inbox. Don’t forget to share this article with your network on social media.  

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