Hello, I am currently working on my first year in a bachelor’s degree in business management. I would like to focus on the career path in business analyst. This would be a career change cause at this time I am a field tech in GSE maintenance. Some of my questions are. What would an entry level person need to enter this career field? i.e., certification, training, and qualification. What type of classes should I focus on? The reason I am changing career fields is that my current one requires a lot of physical active that is taking a total on my body. Thank you for the help.
Answers
Bradley,
One great area is to look at job postings on Indeed or other non-committal job boards.(meaning you do not have to sign up and then be bombarded with emails) By looking at the actual job postings you will obtain the terminology used in the industry, but also may need to take some classes that will gear your degree towards that. I am assuming you have 4 years left, be careful that the career does not morph drastically. i.e. over a 4 year period I saw intel folks coming out of Wright Patterson be able to head directly into civilian business analyst positions with 4-6 years experience. To what you are doing and that is obtaining a degree. Government contractors would snatch intel folks up for continued intel work, but business analyst positions starting requiring a degree. The one leg up military intel folks had was their experience. I would suggest some how you try and obtain an internship, while almost impossible while on active duty, but internships in well over 90% of the time turn into a job offer and your first position in that new career with experience.
Hope I have not thrown you too many curves, but some practical things to keep an eye out. Statistics show that many careers change or disappear in a 6-8 year window, from not requiring a degree to needing one, not requiring a certificate to requiring one. Just keep up with the postings, does not matter where, look at what the market requires and prepare to meet those needs. Thanks for your service and sacrifices, God Bless.
Bernard,
Thank you for the help.
Thank you,
Bradley Benton
Hi Bradley,
I hope you’re doing well and having a great start to your week! Thank you for your service, and for posting your question.
I’d encourage you to utilize our community feature to reach out to advisors who have had experience with Business Analysis. You can search for advisors by location, experience and expertise! Feel free to reach out to as many advisors as you would like - casting a wide net will allow you to have numerous conversations and develop your perspective!
I would also encourage you to join the formal ACP mentoring program, as the program would be able to pair you up with a mentor who would be able to address your questions in detail, as you transition to a new career path.
Lastly, I took a look and I think that this article could be a good starting point for you, I hope it’s helpful!
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-become-a-business-analyst-2071268
Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer them!
Best,
-Bernard.
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