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7/22/2015 10:32 AM

	Beeasy
1 posts

Need help choosing a field for BA

Hi all,

Freshmen question here. I've been a BA for about a year now at a financial firm. I only started working here immediately after graduating with a degree in CIS. I've realized over this year that I don't have an interest in working in the finance industry. However, I do enjoy the role of a BA.

What other fields are there in which I could continue a BA career in? I've always been interested in design (interior design, product design, etc.), but I'm not a creative person so I'd never want to be a designer per se. Are BAs relevant in fields such as design firms?

Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much guys.

7/23/2015 9:29 AM

	NitWitNick
259 posts

Re: Need help choosing a field for BA

"What other fields are there in which I could continue a BA career in?"

You can be some kind of analyst in just about any field you want ... analyze problems and come up with ideas to solve them.

I don't always do stuff in IT, I like to do other things for a change. I sometimes go to a place and conduct a study in operations and work flow analysis ... I'll watch how people do something and I'll even do the part myself to see what it is like and what might be needed to increase productivity and reduce errors. Write up what you currently see "AS-IS" and then suggestions on how to make it better "TO-BE" or "Future State".

A Non-IT Example I Did Years Ago:

A company needs someone to find out why their Nation-Wide tire changing stores get bad reviews on taking so long to put new tires on a car. They are losing money because people get tired of waiting and are leaving for other places. They need to wait on more customers to be competitive and make money.

You get your notebook and head over to a couple stores around you.

You watch how long it takes the employes to meet and check in a customer and then watch the tire guy how he takes the tire off a car, then goes to one side of the garage to remove it from the rim, then he goes to the other side to mount the new tire and then another part to balance it, then it is his break time, so he just leaves the car there and goes somewhere... you see the whole process and wonder, why all this walking, why not speed things up and put all the tire changing stuff in one area, why not finish the car before going on a break, etc. This seems to happen in all the stores and not just one store that could be corrected quickly. You write it up and present it to management.

You can also write up Issues and Opportunities ... ways to impress customers and have them come back ... check fluids, clean windows, put covers on seats so they don't get dirty from the mechanics, etc.

Heck, Even McDonalds has a Process Engineer to serve you burgers quickly and without order errors ...

https://workflow101.wordpress.com/2009/12/14/mcdonalds-and-workflow-every-second-counts/

Remember ... all the Business Analyst / Process Engineer Stuff is not just in IT ... it is used just about anywhere you go ... so you have a wide range of opportunities.

Good Luck With Your BA Career, Where Ever It May Lead You.

7/28/2015 12:59 AM

	DishaDesai
7 posts

Re: Need help choosing a field for BA

Modified By Chris Adams on 7/28/2015 12:20:52 PM)

The nature of this profession allows for a business analyst career path in simply becoming a professional Business Analyst (or remaining a Professional Business Analyst for many years). This is because the profession consists of a set of skills which are highly specialized and can be applied to any industry and to any subject matter area successfully. This allows for the Business Analyst to move between industry, company and subject matter area with ease which becomes their career progression and focus of professional development. The transition between industries becomes more seamless as you gain more and more experience as a Business analyst. This is what often attracts Business Analysts to becoming highly skilled in delivering a skill set within more and more challenging subject matter areas or industries. The other key dimension of the job is that it allows for activities at various levels of the organization to be practiced – from the enterprise level analysis right through to defining detailed system requirements. This career path suits Business Analysts who love the rush of the project environment and the need for solving more and more complex business problems.