Do you have an undergraduate degree in economics and want to become an IT professional as a Business Analyst? With a little bit of planning, your strengths in working with data, analytical and logical skills, and knowledge of basic economics can help you excel in this position. This paper will help you understand the various elements which would help you in making the transition which has been outlined in the form of skills, qualifications, and the sequential steps necessary to acquire a position as a Business Analyst (BA) in the information technology area.
Why Consider Business Analysis in IT?
The role of a Business Analyst in the IT sector is arguably the most important. Business Analysts act as liaisons between the stakeholders and the technical teams and strive to ensure that appropriate technical solutions are employed to satisfy business demands. You do need to instil a little bit of creativity in business analysis considering your background as an economist and the fact that creative thinking is important in data-driven decision-making for any business.
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Key Skills Needed for Business Analysts in IT
Read more about skills for Business Analysts
Developing a portfolio and interests will be useful for this transition as you need people-related soft skills, analytical skills, and hard skills. Let’s elaborate on these:
- Analytical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Economists are analytical and logical by nature. Use this trait to assess and analyze information, form conclusions and solve issues.
- Communication Skills: One of the crucial elements in a BA’s workplace is interaction with lots of stakeholders. Economists who have such experience of explaining particular data or policies will be in a better position but still need some touch-ups to work in business.
- Technical Skills: A few technical skills are necessary, especially within IT:
- SQL: Learn to query the databases to get some data and examine it.
- Excel: Possibly you know already, but high level Excel techniques should be fully utilized.
- Visualization Tools (Tableau, Power BI): Very important when required to communicate data to the stakeholders effectively.
- Basics of IT (software development, SDLC): Understanding the fundamentals of the software development process will make interactions with technical departments more efficient and agile framework.
- Knowledge and Documentation/Modelling Skills: BAs tend to document and model use cases, process flows, requirements specifications, etc. It would be useful to learn how to employ tools such as Lucidchart, Microsoft Visio, or UML diagrams.
- Basic Principles of Project Management: These basic project management concepts are essential for BAs as they plan their activities, manage time, and execute solutions within deadlines.
Steps to Transition from Economics to Business Analysis in IT
1. A Business Analyst’s Profile: Analysis of the Position
Before applying for the job position, it is worth finding out what the day-to-day work of a business analyst, especially in the IT area, consists of. Pay attention to the essential duties, the methodologies (like Agile and Waterfall) business analysts are using, and the common problems BAs encounter. Helpful resources may include contributions on Business Analysis made available on these various websites: LinkedIn Learning, YouTube and even blogs.
2. Professional Certification
Even though it is not a necessity, having several of such qualifications may boost your profile and makes you learn the requisite skills as follows:
- Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) from IIBA: Here is for those who wish to obtain more profound BA knowledge.
- Certified Analytics Professional (CAP): Most recommended if your weight slips to a more numerically inclined assessment.
- Entry Certificate in Business Analysis (ECBA): For those stepping into the career, attaining this certification will be beneficial for them.
SQL, Excel, and data visualization tools like Tableau or Power BI would be other certifications worth pursuing as well.
3. Acquire both Technical and Advanced Skills
- Familiarization with SQL: include SQL based requests for data retrieval as one of the key acquisition methodologies to apply.
- Use BI Tools for Further Understanding: Business Intelligence relies on Tableau and Power BI. You may find some quite useful free video tutorials, or structured programs on Udemy, or LinkedIn Learning.
4. Pick Up Knowledge of Standard Software Development Approaches
Learn the project development life cycle (PSLC) or SDLC models and the Agile philosophy. One of Agile’s implementation tools, Scrum, is quite popular in IT projects, so these concepts will come in quite handy.
5. Keep an eye on Collecting the Requirements and Documentation of It.
Attempt to formulate example requirements as well as draft rudimentary business cases. There are several websites where one can locate such templates and write remembering case studies or fictional events.
6. Create a Portfolio
Some employers would want to see something more tangible in a candidate – so if you wish to apply for a position, prepare a small portfolio. Attach copies of requirement specifications, business analytics diagrams and case studies that you have done.
7. Communicate With People in the Field.
Management and planning in any abroad role will provide you with access to possible job prospects and information. Participate in webinars, become a member of the LinkedIn associates of Business Analysts, and as well pull and sip IT specialists and headhunters. Have people people for informational interviews concerning the job and what to expect.
8. Apply For An Entry Position Job
Try to search for junior Business Analyst positions or other positions with a similar role, for example, ‘Data Analyst’, ‘Operations Analyst’, or ‘IT Support’. These types of roles are provided at the entry-level, which means they are accessible for you and will enable you to muster the skill sets and experience needed for the professional Business Analyst position later on in your career.
Useful Links – ECBA Training | CBAP Training | CCBA Training
Difficulties Faced & Remedies
Moving from domain economics to domain business analysis in the IT field, will not be devoid of certain challenges. Below are some popular challenges and ways to mitigate them:
1. No Technical Experience
Begin from very basics, and concentrate on the most important areas – sql, and excel. After that, current knowledge can be built over time when more comfortable.
2. Complex IT Systems Integration
Do not be disheartened if IT basics appear too much to handle. Focus on grasping the basics of SDLC and perhaps, find a person in that industry to look up to as a role model.
3. New Terms and Methodologies of the New Domain to Get Acquainted With
The economist role is linked with a variety of economic & finance terms. Business Analysis too has its jargon. For these terms, use glossaries and BABOK (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge) resources to contact confusion.
Final Thoughts
Moving to a Business Analyst role in IT from an economics background is a difficult task. However it is not impossible. You need to capitalize on your analytical skills, and learn technical skills relevant to the position and the frameworks and methodologies used in the domain to create a successful career.
You might equally be interested in the analytical part of the job or implementing it and acting as a liaison between technology and business, the role of a Business Analyst is diverse. With the right focus, an eagerness to learn and networking, even an economics background can help in this high-growth sector.
Useful Links – ECBA Training | CBAP Training | CCBA Training
