Hi,
I'm in a small bit of a dilemma! I am mid 20's without great direction!! I have limited experience due to a few years of travelling. However, I have a degree in Information Systems and I completed an 6 month internship 3 years ago, during which time I was predominately a tester. I am currently doing contract work in an Investment Bank. I am not technically minded, however I am a strong organizer and a good communicator. I love problem solving/realistically matching resources with necessary goals. Eventually I think I would like to work as a PM (bringing the jigsaw together!), but I believe that working as a BA would be a good stepping stone for this. I would appreciate any advice anyone has to give.
Thanks!
From what you have described and what interests you, I think becoming a BA may make sense. Your best bet might be to leverage the existing experience you have within the investment bank (hopefully you have some good industry knowledge) and start to volunteer for smaller BA type of roles. However, before starting be sure you take the time to read up on business anlaysis methodologies, processes, and skills required. You don't have to be the expert on all of this starting out, but you should have an awareness of some of the methods and processes used to perform in a BA role and know where to find answers if you are confused or need information. You came to ModernAnalyst.com so you already have one very important resource at your disposal.
On another note, you mentioned maybe becoming a PM. I'm curious, how would you describe the role of a PM versus the role of a BA?
Hi
I think you are making the right move. I have been a Business Analyst for 15+ years and most of my projects also involve some type of Project Management. The industry is basically combinding the 2 positions. I am beginning to see a lot of PM positions that require requirements gather skills. You might want to pursue both at the same time. Also, here are a couple of BA electronic books for sale on lulu.com. They are very inexpensive (25.00) and are basically how to guides on topics such as business modeling, uml, sdlc and business analysis templates. Here are the links if you want to read the reviews.
e - Analyst Redbook – Introduction to Business Analysis & UML - Preview/Purchase - http://www.lulu.com/content/2684973
e - Analyst Redbook – Business Analysis Templates -
Preview/Purchase - http://www.lulu.com/content/2664674
Hope this helps
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