Do you need to excel in data analytics before moving into a BA role?
Is data analysis an important skill set for an aspiring BA?
I was told that moving to a business analyst role without having prior experience in it would be impossible. But this time I got something new.
“Move into a data analyst role and from there catch the train of BA”.
I knew that internal switch was the option I’d heard a lot about but this one made more sense to me at that time, although it sounded like quite a long process.
Being a person who gets pumped up with every new idea, I started making a list of skillsets required to become a data analyst.
The next day I was searching for the best online courses and the day after that I started my preparation.
What I did was something undigestible to me as well —
- I completed online courses in Excel, SQL, Python, Data Visualization, Data Analysis process, etc.
- I opted for Udemy courses and learnt Tableau and Power BI.
- I also had 2–3 interviews for a data analyst role but was not able to clear it.
- I was not able to solve high-level SQL or Python assignments they used to give me for the interview rounds.
I felt that the knowledge I was getting through these online courses was not enough to help me land a DA job.
I had Excel knowledge and got interested in data visualization later, but never in the coding part.
And hence I realized the reason for getting rejected from the interviews was my personal interest, not my learning incompetence.
I am talking about all of this because like everyone else I also started my BA journey via data analytics, which no doubt helped me in the job roles I got.
Although I never looked back at my notes after that.
But sometimes when people ask me if they should learn and put DA skills in their CVs first, before even starting the BA preparation or sitting in any interviews, I feel the gap there.
Here are some of my personally experienced takeaways to answer this biggest question for an aspiring BA —
Business Analysis vs Business Analytics
If you understand the difference between both, there will not be any questions left unanswered.
The person who is more involved with data, reporting, analytics, etc is the business analytics professional.
They have to look at past and present business data and present the insights to the stakeholders to mould their business strategies accordingly.
Business Intelligence Analyst
BI analyst is a different role from a BA role. They are the ones who are involved specifically in the descriptive analysis of the data.
Business analytics is a subset of BI analysis.
If you feel interested in data, reporting, statistics, etc., you have an additional option to go ahead as a BI Analyst.
A separate team of data scientists
Nowadays, in most organizations, where a large piece of the project revolves around a huge chunk of data, you will find a dedicated team of data scientists folks working around it.
Also, there will be a separate team of data engineers and BI analysts who will be working on making the data presentable together.
No doubt about the importance of Excel
I remember Microsoft Office came into our lives at a very early stage and since then we’ve been using it in some or the other ways.
I consider Excel to be the best tool for any job role, so no chance you should be asking yourself whether to learn it or not.
P.S. In my previous company, even the requirements used to be documented in Excel.
Basic understanding of data
We all know the importance of data in this era of big data.
Hence, you should be having fundamental knowledge about —
- Raw data
- Cleansed data
- Sorted data
- How to read graphs, charts, etc.
- How to derive outcomes/insights from a data
- Storytelling through a data
Again emphasizing the importance of learning Excel here.
Programming languages
Languages such as SQL and Python are definitely not mandatory to be a business analyst.
The only reason why I would say to invest and learn it is because you truly have a deep interest in doing so.
No extra knowledge is harmful.
Conclusion
The climax of the story is —
There is no doubt that data analytics plays a huge part in almost all types of job roles now.
If you are really interested in a business analytics role, go ahead and start your journey by learning about data analysis first.
But remember that a BA role is different from a business analytics and BI analytics role. If you are not familiar with a deep understanding of analytics, that’s fine for a BA.
Don’t restrict yourself to being proficient in DA skills first.
For a business analyst, critical thinking and problem-solving are more important to inculcate. You can always keep learning in your professional journey.
Keep your basics clear and have a fundamental idea of what data is and how it can help you in your day-to-day BA tasks.
Once you’re ready, I can help you
- Prepare completely for a career transition into a BA role with all the practical tips and tricks that I personally followed during my journey.
- Understand the career path of a BA as a product owner and how you can go ahead with a PO role.
- Prepare for your upcoming interview sessions and revamp your CV for the same.
Get your hands on my personally created first booklet to help you understand an efficient way of explaining your projects in an interview.
https://topmate.io/bhavinisapra/236801
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