The professional career path for a business analyst is completely flexible. Although business analyst has a set of common skills, the ways in which they use those skills depend on the project they are working on, the organization they work for, the products they are responsible for, and their industry.
You might be wondering about what the career path for a business analyst looks like, are there various levels in the business analysis career, or whether you need certain qualifications to go down the business analyst career path. In this guide, we will define a business analyst, examine their job path requirements, and provide you a list of 5 potential business analyst career paths that you can choose from to kickstart your journey.
Before you start reading the article, you can explore our ECBA Certification Training Course, which is a credential for entry-level business analysts.
Since it is an entry-level certification, it is aimed at fresher candidates who are looking to grow their careers in the business analysis domain. When you enroll for this course, you will get access to complete ECBA exam training via live sessions conducted by industry experts. You will also have access to multiple features such as mock tests, mock exams, mindmaps, and most importantly the job interview preparation program, which will help you to polish your resume and gain the confidence to answer all the interview questions.
Who is a Business Analyst?
Business analysts are professionals who look for ways to improve an organization’s operational efficiency while obtaining higher performance by studying its processes, operating procedures, and massive data sets.
Business analysts collaborate with management to cut costs, remove or minimize inefficiencies, and increase the organization’s ability to compete in the contemporary business environment. Moreover, the business analyst uses their analytical abilities to comprehend and put into practice the data-focused plans that will improve a company’s processes and practices.
Focused Area for Business Analyst
A business analyst primarily functions in four following areas:
1. Operations Focus – A business analyst is involved in tasks such as cost cutting, investing in equipment, improving employee efficiency, and increasing production of products to maximize efficiency and add value to the operational level of a business.
2. Project Focus – A business analyst may take over a project to carefully consider the usually overlooked areas. He or she may be involved in strategic planning, portfolio planning, the use of modeling tools, and so on.
3. Enterprise Focus – Through the use of technology, a business analyst who works in this area or domain helps in optimizing the development of creative solutions.
4. Competitive Focus – To optimize all the areas of the business, a business analyst is also responsible for analyzing the competitive environment to develop a meaningful strategy.
What does a Business Analyst do?
A business analyst is responsible for a wide range of roles and responsibilities. Here are a few responsibilities of a business analyst.
- Locating areas where corporate operations and processes can be improved
- Collecting requirements and meeting with users and customers
- Modelling and prototyping of products and procedures
- Creating or updating IT or business systems
- Collaborating with relevant parties and subject matter experts to ascertain their issues and requirements
- Assembling, describing, and evaluating company needs and demands
- Creating technology solutions to business issues
- Working with system architects and developers to guarantee the system is implemented correctly
- Assisting with system testing, system documentation, and user manual creation
- Organizing seminars to bring together all stakeholders and create a shared understanding
Sometimes a business analyst works as data professional in an organization as they are involved in tasks such as sifting through huge piles of data, coming to conclusions based on the data, and most importantly conveying the data with the help of data visualization and verbal storytelling.
Useful Link – ECBA Certification Course | CCBA Certification Course | CBAP Certification Course | Top Required Skills for BA
What Does a Business Analyst Career Path Include
Business analysts must have a specific amount of education, training, and work experience to go down the business analyst career path. A professional path for a business analyst includes the following:
Education
To work as a business analyst at an entry level, one frequently needs a bachelor’s degree. Employers are looking for applicants who have a degree in a business-related field, such as finance, sociology, political science, business administration, logistics, or business analytics.
Employers frequently seek out professionals with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree when searching for more specialized positions. However, an MBA degree is not necessarily a need and you can pursue a business analyst career without an MBA degree too.
Moreover, to apply for a business analyst fresher role, many employers also look for industry exposure. In such a case, you can opt for an internship or industrial training in the business analysis domain.
Read More – Business Analyst Certification for beginners – ECBA Certification
Certifications
Gaining certifications can help give your business analyst career a boost. It means that you can develop your ability and enhance your earning potential without obtaining a formal degree by completing training or pursuing a certification. A few certifications are as follows:
- Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) offered by the International Institute of Business Analysis
- Certified Management Consultant (CMC) from the Institute of Management Consultants
- PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA) from the Project Management Institute
- Entry certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA) from IIBA
- Certification of Competency in Business Analysis (CCBA) from IIBA
- Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification from the Project Management Institute
- Agile Analysis Certification from IIBA
- Certified Product Ownership Analysis from IIBA
- Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics from IIBA
- Certificate in Cybersecurity Analysis from IIBA and IEEE Computer Society
If you are interested in any of the above certifications, it is always recommended to go for an official certification training course before taking the exam. You can explore the business analysis certification training courses for different certifications on our learning portal.
Experience
Once you’ve gathered enough experience, you can advance to the position of junior business analyst. You might move up to more senior-level positions as you gain more experience and knowledge.
As a fresher business analyst, one can gain experience by volunteering or looking for internships in the domain. Even if you are working in a different domain and wish to transfer to the business analysis domain, you can ask your current employer to give you business analyst-related tasks and responsibilities.
Trending – Which Is Necessary – Experience Vs Knowledge for BA?
Top 15 Business Analyst Career Path with their Salaries
You must first prepare for your career as a business analyst before you can move forward. Either a strong foundation in business or in information technology is required. You have various employment options to choose from as you work toward becoming a business analyst. The following are potential career paths you could take as a business analyst:
Business Consultant
Business consultants analyze organisational procedures, pinpoint flaws, and provide recommendations for improvement. Business consultants frequently focus on particular areas, such as marketing, human resources, management, engineering, or finance, and they offer knowledgeable counsel on those subjects.
This is a good career path for you if you interested in consulting for big firms and analyzing the organizational practices.
The average salary of a business consultant in India is 12,00,000 INR as per Glassdoor. While the salary in USA and Canada are $73,238 and $65,508 respectively.
Data Business Analyst
Within an organisation, business analysts are change agents. They exist to pinpoint a company’s requirements, issues, and best practises for maximising operations. Their main goal is to develop a structured improvement programme.
It can be an ideal career path for you if you have an interest in using data to identify problems, but not keen in getting too much into the technical details.
The average salary of a data business analyst in India is 7,00,000 INR as per Ambitionbox. While the salary in Canada is $74,403.
Business Analyst Manager
These managers oversee the hiring and training of the business analyst staff, establish best practices, and carry out organizational objectives.
The average annual salary for a Business Analyst Manager is as follows:
India – According to Ambitionbox, the average salary of a business analyst manager is
₹ 16.3 LPA
USA – As per Glassdoor, the salary range is $98,208
Canada -As per Glassdoor, the salary range is $100,147
Useful Link – ECBA Certification Course | CCBA Certification Course | CBAP Certification Course | Top Required Skills for BA
IT Business Analyst
Working on numerous operating systems and projects is required for this function, along with the development of more important business process responsibilities. Those business analyst professionals who enjoy working with numbers can consider this career path.
The average annual salary for an IT Business Analyst is as follows:
India – Rs 8,37,017
USA – $71,371
Canada -$77,887
Project Manager
Project managers’ main responsibilities are to watch over an organization’s everyday operations. They manage resource and activity planning, guarantee customer satisfaction, assess project risk and aid in risk mitigation, and keep track of a project’s overall progress.
The average annual salary for a project manager is as follows:
India – Rs 14,00,000
USA – $75,951
Canada -$81258
Data Analysis Scientist
Since data analyst scientists must evaluate and use obtained data to provide insights that may be put to use, this job path can be challenging. To be successful in this role, you must have a keen interest in statistics and machine learning.
The average annual salary for a Data Analysis scientist is as follows:
India – ₹ 10.4
USA – $1,21,287
Canada – $90,611
Information Security Analyst
Cybersecurity experts are in high demand since cybercrime is a popular topic. By analyzing security data and keeping an eye on IT networks and systems, information security analysts defend enterprises against hackers. You’ll enjoy this job if you’re interested in ethical hacking because it typically requires identifying and fixing system flaws.
The average salary for a project manager is as follows:
India – Rs 14,00,000
USA – $75,951
Canada -$81258
Systems Analyst
A systems analyst’s job is to perform the duties of a digital detective. In order to comprehend, alter, enhance, and assist in the reconstruction of these systems, they chronicle technological systems.
If you are interested in working on the technical systems, for instance, a computer system and identifying problems with it, then this career path is for you.
The average annual salary for a systems analyst is as follows:
India – Rs 8,00,000
USA – $78631
Canada -$70406
Requirements Engineer
The process of defining, capturing, and maintaining requirements is known as requirement engineering.
If you have keen interest in requirements analysis, then this is the ideal career path for you as a business analyst.
The average annual salary for a requirements engineer is as follows:
India – Rs 10,00,000
USA – $99391
Canada – $76,051
Process Analyst
Process analysts define, record, evaluate, and examine an organization’s or department’s business procedures in order to identify possible improvement opportunities. Their main goal is to design solutions or streamline processes in order to boost production or efficiency.
If you are someone who holds an interest for evaluating and analyzing the business procedures and look for solutions to better improve it, then this career path is for you.
The average annual salary for a process analyst is as follows:
India – Rs 3,00,000
USA – $76,195
Canada – $60,611
Useful Link – ECBA Certification Course | CCBA Certification Course | CBAP Certification Course | Top Required Skills for BA
Test Analyst
A test analyst is in charge of evaluating hardware or software to ensure quality before it is made available on the market. They take part in the creation of test systems, examine and analyse documentation, and keep an eye on the product specifications during the development process.
If you are someone with an interest for testing software, then this can be your ideal career path.
The average annual salary for a test analyst is as follows:
India – Rs 6,60,000
USA – $90,057
Canada – $60,611
Business Architect
A business architect creates models and strategies for organisations. They concentrate improvements on the goals of the stakeholders, such as increased corporate agility, access to new markets, productivity, and digital transformation.
The average annual salary for a business architect is as follows:
India – Rs 20,00,000
USA – $111870
Canada – $106638
Product Manager
A product manager ties together corporate strategy, design expertise, and consumer demands to create products that are useful, practical, and valuable.
If this sounds like you, then choosing this career path can be your best bet.
The average annual salary for a product manager is as follows:
India – Rs 16,00,000
USA – $1,17,607
Canada – $94,171
Portfolio Manager
Portfolio managers are experts that oversee investment portfolios with the intention of helping their clients meet their financial goals.
The average annual salary for a portfolio manager is as follows:
India – ₹12,43408
USA – $106761
Canada – $110617
Management Consultant
Management consultants, also referred to as management analysts, identify issues within organisations and create strategies for enhancing productivity and boosting revenues.
The average annual salary for a management consultant is as follows:
India – ₹22,63015
USA – $99054
Canada – $1,00,258
Is Business Analyst a Dying Career?
If you were looking for this question, then the answer is a big NO!
Business Analyst is not a dying career, but in fact a growing one. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for business analysts is anticipated to increase by 14% between 2018 and 2028, which is comparatively faster than the average for all occupations.
Moreover, according to the IIBA global research survey, BAs with at least one certification earn 12% more than non-certified professionals. Also, about 58% of worldwide people surveyed are CBAP-certified.
Furthermore, a higher level of career satisfaction was expressed by about 45% of certified business analysis candidates due to their self – confidence and self and sense of purpose.
If you are thinking about why it’s a booming career, then you must understand that business analysis is a domain that is constantly evolving and adapting to the dynamics of the industries. To satisfy new business demands, business analysts adjust to industry trends.
One of the most lucrative career choices in the IT sector is that of a business analyst. Future employment opportunities are excellent because you can opt and choose any sector or industry.
How To Become a Business Analyst?
Here is a step-by-step guide that you can consider if you wish to become a business analyst and go down that career lane.
- Obtain a degree (accounting, finance, IT, etc.)
- Obtain a position as a developer, subject matter expert, or quality assurance engineer. A junior business analyst position would be any of these. You’ll probably need to interview for the role of business analyst to land this job, so you might wish to review the interview questions.
- After a few years of starting a job, become a subject-matter expert (SME).
- Obtain several years of practical job experience in the positions described above.
- By pursuing certifications in business analyst-related courses, you can enhance your skill set.
- Go up the corporate ladder and become a product manager, senior/lead business analyst, or IT business analyst.
Useful Link – ECBA Certification Course | CCBA Certification Course | CBAP Certification Course | Top Required Skills for BA
Conclusion
We hope this guide was insightful and you were able to decide on your business analyst career path. Moreover, we also have good news for you if all of this discussion about business analysis got you interested in pursuing it as a career. You can receive the training you need from Techcanvass to get going on your career as a business analyst.
