Show notes
In this episode, we look at LinkedIn’s Most Promising Jobs for 2019 and discuss how the skills of Business Analysts are key to success in many of the roles.
After listening to this episode, you'll understand:
- How certain skills are transferrable to other roles
- Why business analysis is such an in-demand skill
- What hard and soft skills will help you advance your career
SHOW NOTES
LinkedIn recently came out with its list of most promising jobs for 2019 and while the role of Business Analyst was not featured, the skill of business analysis was key to many of the jobs on the list.
Business Analysis was also features as #16 on LinkedIn’s list of skills companies need most in 2019.
These lists show the power and importance of business analysis and could give you insight into options if you’re looking to make a career move.
Honorable Mention
To determine their list of the 15 most promising jobs, LinkedIn reviewed data on job listings, salaries, member profiles and other metrics. They them assigned each job a weighted score based on five areas: salary, advancement potential, year-over-year growth projections, the number of openings in the U.S., and regional availability of jobs.
There were a few jobs on their list that didn’t specifically mention the skill of business analysis, but we can apply our skills and knowledge to excel in the role.
Data Scientist was listed at #1 and included required skills such as data mining and data analysis. We discussed Data Analysis in episode 157 and while data science requires different skills and knowledge, this may be an option of you’re willing to learn and expand some of your skills.
The roles of Product Designer (#4), Product Owner (#5), and Product Manager (#14) were also listed and surprisingly did not include the skill of business analysis. Instead, the article listed skills such as cross-functional team leadership, User Experience (UX), produce development, business analytics, process improvement, and Agile.
In past episodes, we’ve discussed product ownership and product management and how those roles are related to business analysis. I think these roles are ideally suited for some Business Analysts looking to expand their skills and have a greater impact across their organizations.
Top Jobs Requiring Business Analysis Skills
LinkedIn’s article lists four jobs out of 15 that require business analysis skills. Those four jobs are: Engagement Manager, Information Technology Lead, Scrum Master, and Solutions Consultant.
As an engagement manager (#7 on the list), you’ll help external customers focus on their goals and drive the solution implementation towards a successful, on-time implementation. You’ll provide technical and functional expertise during the implementation process.
According to LinkedIn, an Engagement Manager’s year-over-year growth is 43% and it received a career advancement score of 9 out of 10.
The Engagement Manager role requires skills such as Program Management, process improvement, and relationship management in addition to business analysis.
For the Information Technology Lead role (#9), you’ll lead a team of software engineers and others in executing a strategic technology roadmap to create the right business outcomes. This job gets an 8 out of 10 for career advancement and has year-over-year growth of 141%.
To be successful as an Information Technology Lead, you’ll need technical knowledge, process improvement, and troubleshooting skills in addition to business analysis.
One surprise on LinkedIn’s list is that the role of Scrum Master includes the skill of business analysis. The Scrum Master is the coach for a Scrum Team and in that role, they facilitate, teach, coach, and mentor others. They’re an organizational change agent and work to ensure the team balances speed of delivery with quality and customer value.
The Scrum Master role (#10 on the list) gets a career advancement score of 8 out of 10 and has year-over-year growth of 67%.
In addition to business analysis, being a Scrum Master requires knowledge and skills in Agile (specifically Scrum), software development, and the software development lifecycle.
The final job on LinkedIn’s list that specifically calls out business analysis as a required skill is Solutions Consultant (#13). A Solutions Consultant partners with sales and business consultants to design products and solutions to meet customer needs. They provide options and understand the feasibility of different solutions so that they can influence the right choices. They may also help shape the product roadmap.
This job gets a career advancement score of 8 out of 10 and year-over-year growth of 73%.
Being a Solutions Consultant may require special skills in addition to business analysis including knowledge of cloud computing, software-as-a-service, enterprise software, and customer relationship management.
LinkedIn’s list of most promising jobs in 2019 shows that the skill of business analysis and related skills are transferable to other roles an can help you to take you career to the next level or along a different path.
Listen to the full episode to understand how to leverage your skills and find out what other hard and soft skills you need to advance your career.
Thank you for listening to the program
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The post MBA178: Career Options for BAs appeared first on Mastering Business Analysis.
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