Unexpected Business Analysis Career Options
There are some clear career path options for Business Analysts, but then there are also some more unexpected business analysis career options for Business Analysts who wants something different to consider. These more unusual career path options are possibilities because of attributes and skills that experienced Business Analysts posses without necessarily realizing or consciously thinking about it.
This blog article will explore some of these more unexpected career path options for Business Analysts who are thinking about finding a change of direction for their careers.
Also refer to: The Sky Is The Limit – Career Path Options for Business Analysts
Career Path #1: Professional Career Coach
To be a great Business Analyst, you must be a great listener. You must also know when to ask which questions to ensure you elicit the best quality requirements from stakeholders. The skill of listening and asking the right questions is exactly what a good professional career coach must be able to do very well. There is therefore a very clear parallel in terms of core skills required between a Business Analyst and a Professional Career Coach. Therefore, for a Business Analyst who would like to change the direction of their careers to purely focus on helping others achieve their career goals and overcome their obstacles, this is a great fit. What makes this career option so attractive is that it will give the Business Analyst who loves people an opportunity to focus all their energy on helping people achieve their goals. The other great thing about becoming a Professional Career Coach is that is will give the Business Analyst the opportunity to continue solving problems and in the process guide people to the correct answers for their individual needs. The Business Analyst still acts as the interpreter, translator and problem solver by using language and analytical skills to facilitate the solving of problems.
Career Path #2: The Recruitment Agent
The Recruitment Agent may not be such an unexpected career path option in itself but it does warrant being on this list because there are a few different reasons why a Business Analyst may embrace this career path option as an option for a change in career direction. This career path option will suit the Business Analyst that has a strong ability to build relationships with stakeholders. Not all Business Analysts are necessarily naturally good with engaging stakeholders but a lot of Business Analysts learn this skill as part of developing as a good Business Analyst. But there are other reasons than just pure stakeholder relationship building skills, which makes this a candidate for an unexpected career path option for the Business Analyst and this is coming from the entrepreneurial angle. In many countries there is still a strong demand and reasonably low supply of experienced and qualified Business Analysts. Therefore, if a Business Analyst had a knack for being entrepreneurial and they enjoyed building relationships with a very wide variety of people, then starting or working for a recruitment agency could be a great alternative career path. Not only does the Business Analyst have strong stakeholder relationship building skills but due to their experience as a Business Analyst, they can screen and pre-interview Business Analysts using their own experience to make sure they only provide good quality Business Analysts as potential candidates to their clients. So although becoming a Business Analysis recruitment agent is not necessarily everybody’s cup of tea, this is a viable, complementary and unexpected career path option for Business Analysts to consider.
Career Path #3: Customer Experience Consultant
This Business Analysis career change option is a modern and new type of specialty that Business Analysts have the perfect opportunity to embrace. More and more companies are becoming acutely aware of the importance of a great customer experience for their customers. These companies are also realizing that a great customer experience stretches far beyond a nice graphical user interface and that it now manifests itself in almost every aspect of business. Business Analysts are placed in the unique position where they can get involved in these types of initiatives with relative ease and then start to hone their skills and focus around establishing a great customer experience in almost any aspect of business. For example, a Business Analyst looking at business processes for a particular business area, could focus all their efforts to optimizing the customer experience for the business process they are working on.
This unexpected career path option is probably the newest and least defined in the industry but undeniably present. For a Business Analyst who wants to change their career into a specialty role, which will remain in demand whilst also embracing creativity and cutting edge thinking, should consciously start seeking opportunities to work on customer experience initiatives.
Career Path #4: Small Business / Entrepreneur Advisor
For the entrepreneurial Business Analysts amongst us, this unexpected career path option has a few interesting avenues to explore. Many small businesses have a real need for Business Analysis skills to assist them with business process optimization (even simply implementing a few automation steps in their back office process or simplifying manual procedures) can help small businesses save some serious money. There are also within the realm of small business and start ups the need to formalize and document sound business plans for various reasons which is something else that Business Analysis skills are very well suited for. So for the entrepreneurial Business Analyst who is keen to change their career path from being a corporate Business Analyst into becoming an entrepreneurial consultant or business optimizer for small business, this is a great avenue to pursue for the unexpected career path option.
In Conclusion
Any career path change will require some focus and effort from the incumbent Business Analyst but it is worth opening your mind to interesting and unexpected career paths that exist beyond the beaten path. However, being a Business Analyst is a great and fulfilling career path option in itself and has no reason to change. So whether you are a content Business Analyst or a change seeking person by nature, there are many opportunities for Business Analysts to pursue.
Viva Business Analysis – the career with limitless options!
Also refer to: The Sky Is The Limit – Career Path Options for Business Analysts
