“…sometimes plans fail but what will get you back on track are specific attitudes and behaviours that will give you a better chance of successful transition into tech.”
You’ve probably read articles that make statements like ‘follow these 5 simple steps to become a successful business analyst’. Although those articles have the best intentions and offer some value to the reader they run the risk of having the reader assume the transition is straightforward and does not come with its challenges and failures. Seasoned industry professionals who seek to impart their knowledge and experience to aspiring Business Analysts, should lace their literature, mentorship and guidance with realism to manage their audiences expectations to avoid them giving up on their dreams prematurely.
The challenge with step by step plans is that sometimes plans fail but what will get you back on track are specific attitudes and behaviours that will give you a better chance of successful transition into tech.
The first mindset to start embracing is thinking resourcefully. The list of things mentioned below might seem obvious at first but require more than an awareness of them. Having access to these resources also calls of a commitment of making use of them. There are ample resources around you to gain valuable insight into the business analyst world. Here are a few examples. Join BA forums to gain exposure to real life business projects and tasks. Online learning platforms like Udemy.com, Cousera.org and LinkedIn Learning offer a variety of industry standard BA courses that are affordable and comprehensive. Live webinar sessions offer you the chance to learn and interact with industry experts with a Q&A session, or you can search for recorded webinars on YouTube.
Flood your social feeds with industry thought leaders. Social media is a huge part modern day culture. So if you are a user of any platform have a think about following industry experts. They will offer a diverse range of perspectives that you can learn from. 8 years ago when I was taking my steps to become a BA, I connected with those experienced in the industry on different social channels. Hearing people’s experiences and their challenges and how they overcame them removed many assumptions I had about what life was like as a BA. I learnt what behaviours to adopt and how to navigate the various aspects of working on a project. Hearing diverse viewpoints was invaluable and even helped me in interviews.
Experience plays a huge part interview success, so whilst interviewing look for opportunities in a low risk environments to gain practical experience as a business analyst. With the knowledge you have acquired offer up your services to your local community, library or church for example to improve or review a customer journey, processes or website. Who knows it could lead to further opportunities or a company reference.
Lastly be consistent. There is such thing as become a BA overnight, so be patient and be consistent, even when it seems like nothing is happening keep going, I had gone to over 50 interviews before I landed my first BA role, If i had given up on 49th one, this blog post wouldn’t exist.
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