Career Forums

Hello everyone! If you can offer any advice or value that pertains to my situation I would greatly appreciate it!

 I want to transition out of the retail banking / credit / investment field that I have been in for the past 8 years and I really want to become a BA.  As you can see I have a great financial background and I'm in the process of completing by Bachelors degree in Business Administration with my concentration in Business Analysis. I am also young (31) so as I've been told now is the time to make a career change as opposed to later on. Furthermore, about a yr ago I moved to an area that has a great demand for BA's and I've also discovered that many people here have started into their BA careers by going through training companies in the area that will then hire those students on as consultants.  These companies also help w/ resume preparation and interview coaching.  Based on my financial background many of the people I have talked w/ at different training centers / consulting companies have told me that I would be a great fit as a BA in the finance domain. Typically I would be weary of something like this but I've heard from numerous people that have gone through good training companies that they were able to learn the skills needed and earn good BA positions here that pay a decent buck which is even more of an incentive to me.

I would like to do one of the month long courses with a training center that is endorsed by the IIBA and then roll the dice, leave my current high pressured sales banking position and dive in to the world that is business analysis.  My goal is to complete my undergrad degree next year which I am on pace to do, and also once I gain the neccessary hours obtain CCBA and CBAP certification.  What advice can anyone out there offer me?  I do not have an IT or programing background and I've heard that is OK since I have experience in numerous roles within the banking / investment domain.  Another question I have is after I complete the training course I will have earned 40 PDU's.  With that being said, what will the PDU's go towards? Also, should I look into pursuing other educational avenues after I complete my training course such as UCAL Irvine's Business Analyst certification program that is done online? Or will my training and IIBA cert be enough for now until my Bachelors degree is completed?

 I realize this is long but any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!