Eileen:

I once worked at a company that reguarly promoted administrative assistants into a BA position.    Tech writers also commonly move into a BA postion.   Of course there are BA jobs that pay $8.29 per hour (I actually saw this the other day), and there are BA jobs that pay well over $100K per year.   

And then there are BA jobs that are largely implementation jobs (programmers and the like) that just use the BA tile because it is popular.  I would say that these are the most avialable jobs.   I talked to a project manager friend the other day and he said that, due to the present economic situation, there is a trend to save money by hiring a programmer and have hiim/her do: programming, BA, and project management.

Tony Markos

Hi Eileen,

I would think you would have an excellent chance to transtion into a Business Analyst role. Given your background  you already have the communication skills (written & oral)  that are fundemental to any analyst. They are the bedrock on which everything else is built.   

You would probaly start by securing a Market Analyst role building on your marketing expertise and then move in Business Analysis proper. Certification might be one avenue to look at. It shows your intent and purpose. There are lots of accreditations around but you should look at one that fits with your lifestyle / needs / budget. Some course are entiurely online and some are in classroom situation. You can decide which one fits your needs. This can also  mark you out from others in terms of securing a role.

Your data mining / report experience is something you can build on that every employer needs and builds on your existing strenghts. Good luck.

Regards,

Kieran

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