Professionals with business analysis skills are in high demand. The role’s compensation and employment prospects are increasing. Find out how to pursue a career in business analysis in 2025.
Business analysts are an organization’s change agents. They make strategic business decisions, enhance business processes, and spot chances to enhance business results by applying their multidisciplinary skills.
To stay ahead of the curve and navigate the changing industry landscape, every company nowadays needs a business analyst. As a result, there is a huge need for business analysts. The U.S. market for business analysts is anticipated to expand by 9.7% between 2022 and 2032.
What do Business Analysts do?
Business analysts provide a variety of functions in the industry, ranging from enhancing marketing and financial operations at businesses to serving as intermediaries between IT and business teams at software agencies. To put it briefly, their duties differ depending on the company.
They take on the role of a project manager by overseeing a project from inception to completion, analyzing data, and creating reports for leadership groups. They carry out studies and keep abreast of the most recent customs and trends influencing the sector.
Nonetheless, a business analyst often carries out the following four essential tasks:
1. Build strategic plans
Find ways to help organizations get better and give teams the tools they need to take advantage of those possibilities.
2. Solve business problems
Determine which business areas can be improved by analyzing the data that is already accessible.
3. Analyze data
Distribute the findings and suggestions for enhancements to business teams and stakeholders.
4. Design processes
Create procedures that optimize productivity and enhance corporate results.
Skills required for a Business Analyst
People with technical and teamwork abilities are essential for the cross-functional role of a business analyst. These abilities are necessary to succeed as a business analyst.
1. Business acumen:
A business analyst finds ways to assist a company in enhancing its procedures and operations. To identify the gaps and choose the most effective solution, it is crucial to comprehend the many business operations, such as marketing, finance, accounting, and so forth.
2. Interaction:
An organization’s leadership teams, developers, and other stakeholders are among the people a business analyst communicates with. Therefore, you should have good communication skills.
3. Analysis of data:
The main responsibility of a business analyst is to give recommendations for solutions, and data is essential to achieving this. Regular data collection and analysis is necessary for data-driven approaches to assess the efficacy of the solution. To succeed as a business analyst, it helps to have knowledge of programs like Excel, Tableau, Power BI, etc.
4. Business analysis technique:
Being proficient in industry-specific techniques like Agile Business Analysis, Six Sigma, and Rational Unified Process, as well as strategic decision-making tools like SWOT analysis, can help one succeed as a business analyst.
How to become a Business Analyst?
Pursuing a business analytics degree and working as an intern as you approach graduation until you land your first full-time position in the field is the easiest path to become a business analyst. Here are some actions you can take if you don’t have a business analytics degree.
1. Earn a master’s or bachelor’s degree
To start working as a business analyst, you must have a degree in accounting, marketing, finance, business, or a similar field. If you haven’t finished your undergraduate or graduate studies, you might want to look into these business analytics programs.
A) Deakin University’s Bachelor of Business Analytics
You can gain practical experience with real-world projects through the three-year online undergraduate curriculum.
B) Arizona State University’s Master of Science in Business Analytics (MS-BA)
With five unique tracks—supply chain analytics, fintech, marketing analytics, big data, and tech consulting for specialization—the curriculum lasts nine to sixteen months.
2. Take an online course/certification
The field of business analysis is constantly changing. Both offline courses and self-paced online programs aid in upgrading abilities to meet the demands of the position today. Obtaining a business analyst certification can be a smart choice if you’re an experienced business analyst looking to transition into a leadership position or change careers.
Since these are entry-level qualifications, ECBA and CFLBA will be useful if you’re just starting out in business analysis. However, certifications like CCBA, CBDA, CBAP, CALBA, and others will be more advantageous if you have some practical experience in business analysis.
3. Build a portfolio
Showcase your abilities and experience through the projects you complete for your course or certification. If you lack it, take on a few practical tasks to show off your business analytical abilities and knowledge.
4. Get an entry-level job
Create a CV and begin looking for business analyst positions after you have finished assignments and have a portfolio to show off. Before you go to an interview, read over the typical questions asked of business analysts.
In conclusion
A career in business analysis can be very fulfilling. Business analysts are essential to the transformation and success of businesses of all sizes. Business analysts are seeing an increase in both employment prospects and compensation. Get started right now if you want to work as a business analyst!