Starting Your Career as a Business Analyst

Below is the first photo I took after joining my very first company after campus as a struggling intern SE, dreaming, planning, and trying to get into a permanent associate business analyst position. And the set there in the photo were mostly new joiners in the company where we made a clique.

When I look into the photo I remember the young Eksara Jayan, the scared me, the uncertain me, but most importantly the struggling me. Struggling with everything, with confidence, with culture, with communication, and with technical details and skills and uncertainty about my future.

Now fast forwarding to 10 years, this is me returning to a university back and seeing students who were like me 10 years back, and telling them the story of business analysis.

At this stage, I have completed multiple projects for a variety of organizations, from startups, product-based companies, cooperates, and service-based organizations to Global Fortune 500 organizations. I have been there throughout the full life cycle of these projects, from start to end, tried out new concepts, and done some cutting-edge work. I have dealt with a variety of clients from Sri Lanka, South Asia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Scandinavia, and the USA. Delivering value through the ecosystems. I also built BA teams and mentored multiple analysts. The me standing before them is a transformed version of me, who had seen many and experienced a lot of what business analysis had to offer.

And from the place I'm standing, I'm seeing something. And I had a story to tell.

What I learned is who this business analyst is.

For me being a BA is one of the most cherished things in my life. I loved doing this. Most of the BAs I know loved being a BA. The fact here is simple, business analysis, is a place for anyone with any background. Any hard skill you already have and the soft skills you have developed has a place here. Let's say you are a good salesperson and like to talk with clients, the BA role has the same characteristics. Also if you are a Banker, your domain has a good place in Business Analysis when working with such clients. Even an artist who sees the world differently from a paintbrush, to a barber analyzing a head and coming with the hair cut uses the basic skill of analysis.

When you think clearly our civilizations were built by good analysts. Analysis is everywhere. Here comes the next big fact that made me love being a BA, the opportunity to deliver value to people, organizations, and countries. Being a BA is never a boring job. You will not be restricted to an excel or a computer program like other professions. You will go out and see the world. 🌎✨ You will see the world of your clients through your discussions. You will learn perspectives and understand new contexts. And will be a change-maker.

As I said for the youngster there are things I see about the life of a BA, from where I am now, not like 5-10 years ago. I see new possibilities and places that this career can take you to. Once you become good at understanding value, communicating value, and delivering value, there are far greater places that will be calling you. Where best analysts are needed, who will be the next change agents for the growth of our civilization. As you know in the current age countries grow with the growth of businesses in these countries. They grow by smoothing their processes and reducing costs or through differentiation. The current currency and most advanced cutting-edge technology to use businesses to grow is IT and AI. That's the main reason the current age is known as the "Age of Information" and the age our civilization moving into is called the "Age of Intelligence".

My message to youngsters was that someday when they come into my shoes, you can see how business analysts around the world, in these world's most magnificent organizations in top financial capitals grinding to analyze and deliver the value for tomorrow's civilization. It's amazing to see when you are here how the work of these analysts matters in the next step of our economies. A BA's life can carry them far and higher into these organizations. Into these cities and open up for new experiences they never imagined that ever existed.

So read, explore, and look into these cooperation's, and learn about our economies, you might not be able to get all the information, but any context we always know will gradually build. So start today to explore.

What You Need to Start as a Business Analyst

What carried me so long in the journey as a BA is one main thing, "Passion". Being passionate does not need you to spend Laks and do degrees, Spend Laks and do certificates, Be with top BA's in the country, Have a good network, Have all the skills and experience to become a top BA or the soft skills you develop by spending time with the posher. You get "Passion" for free. This is the best free thing you should develop to be a good BA. The other things I told will come to you along the way when you have this fire burning inside you. With the fire of Passion, you will find a way for your dreams. When you work more on yourself better things in life with attract you.

So learning goes hand in hand with passion. We all know without the passion to learn you will not complete that certificate or the MSc. But also learning comes in other ways as well. Try to learn from your mistakes, by observing other people, from your experiences, or by reading a good book. These learnings are free and believe me can carry you a long way in life.

One simple thing I do, when I end a project as a BA, is that I take a one-on-one with my Manager. From him getting his honest opinions about where I'm bad at and what to improve even though I have completed everything successfully. And then work on those areas in the next assignment. This learning from a person having 20 years of experience, and seeing things I haven't seen, having perspectives and context I didn't have for my 10 years is like the gold for me at the end of the project.

And have this mentality to be open, kind, and honest, and be passionate to work on yourself and grow. And don't be scared when you have this quality I spoke, you are set to find your destination from the start. Trust yourself, and the process, and improve. Then you are set at the start to launch your rocket ship and have the best experience of this amazing life of being a business analyst. 🚀🚀

Think where you need to be in 5,10,15 Years!!

Have your true North in front of you always. Try to imagine who you want to be in 5 years, then in 10 years, and after that when somewhat along the way in 15 years. This really helps you to build yourself. Sometimes our minds are goal-oriented and work in the best way when a task is provided. So have a goal for you. Keep the bar high for yourself in 5 years. If you don't land on the stars you will land on the moon.

Let's say you don't know where you need to be, and it's harder to set a target. See for a personality you know at your workplace. When you are a student without any exposer, in that case look into profiles of successful BAs or personalities on LinkedIn, and check what they have achieved, and what they have learned in those time periods. Set yourself a role model, someone someday you need to surpass. No need for that person to be from your home country, look into people from around the world. This world is small and you can find your way into the best possible life. Role modeling will always help you.

With that, I will be closing today and will meet all the passionate analysts from another article to talk about the beauty of business analysis. Be happy, do good work, and enjoy a nice day everyone!! 😊