In this blog, we will walk you through various Business Analyst career paths. Along with that, we will discuss the Business Analyst roles and responsibilities, skills required to land the job, and the expected average salaries the professionals earn, where the salary trends are collected from one of the world’s largest job and recruiting sites, Glassdoor.

Below are the topics we are going to discuss in the blog:

• What Does a Business Analyst Do?
• Top In-demand Business Analyst Career Paths
  • IT Business Analyst
  • Data Analyst
  • Quantitative Analyst
  • Business Analyst Manager
  • Information Security Analyst
  • Solutions Architect
• Steps to Become a Business Analyst
  • Finish Your Undergraduate Degree
  • Take up an Online Certification Course
  • Gain Hands-on Experience

Learn more about Business Analysts from our YouTube video:

What Does a Business Analyst Do?

Before jumping right into various career opportunities in Business Analysts. Let’s talk about what exactly a Business Analyst does. 

Business analysts are responsible for assisting companies in improving their processes and structures. They perform research and analysis to develop solutions to business issues and assist in the implementation of these systems into companies and their customers. Companies depend on Business Analysts for continuous analyses and suggestions, as the data they provide is often used to enhance decision-making processes and reconfigure business priorities, both internally and externally. Now let’s see some Business Analysts’ career paths. 

Top In-demand Business Analyst Career Paths

IT Business Analyst

IT Business Analysts play a vital role in project management, especially for technology-focused business projects. The capabilities of an Information Technology Business Analyst are important to any project’s progress. The following are the responsibilities of an IT Business Analyst:

• Recognizing market needs and development strategies
• Improving the quality of information technology products and services of the company
• Examining the technological systems and business models that are designed
• Getting business insights from information
• Analyzing the requirements of the company
• Identifying new business technologies and implementing them
• Developing technical innovations to meet business needs

Considering the above responsibilities, it is clear that to become a successful IT Business Analyst, one should possess the following skills:

• Proficiency in SQL 
• Knowledge in solutions development
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Research and technological adaptation

The average salary of an IT Business Analyst is ₹746,000/year in India.

Data Analyst

A Data Analyst is responsible for maintaining database systems and interpreting datasets with various statistical tools. A Data Analyst must have an uncanny capability to connect apparently unrelated data points and provide decision-makers with actionable information. Here are the Data Analyst roles and responsibilities:

• Creating, updating, and deleting master data
• Assisting in the quality assurance of imported data, if possible, by collaborating with Quality Assurance Analysts
• Generating datasets
• Proficiency in areas such as data storage systems, data mining, and data cleansing
• Assisting with the development of reports and analyses

The skills required to become a Data Analyst are as follows:

• Knowledge of database languages such as SQL, Python, or R
• Proficiency in spreadsheet tools such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets
• Experience with data visualization software such as Tableau or Qlik
• Mathematical and statistical skills to gather, measure, organize and analyze data for the company 

The average salary of a Data Analyst is ₹433,494 per year in India. 

Quantitative Analyst

A Quantitative Analyst is a specialist who employs quantitative techniques to assist businesses in making financial decisions. They work in the finance industry to develop methodological and quantitative techniques for measuring, studying, and evaluating financial markets, financial instruments, and consumer behavior.

The responsibilities a Quantitative Analyst should fulfill are as given below:

• Researching and evaluating industry dynamics and statistics to make business decisions
• Creating sophisticated quantitative models and applying analytical software/tools
• Performing statistical analysis every day
• Proficiency in model requirements and data collection methods in detail
• Testing new models, products, and analytics programs
• Maintaining and updating the financial models that are in use

A Quantitative Analyst must possess the following skills to fulfill the above-mentioned responsibilities:

• Statistics
• Linear algebra
• Accounting
• Financial analysis
• Analytical problem-solving skills

In India, a Quantitative Analyst earns an average annual salary of ₹1,369,949. 

Business Analyst Manager

Any company that wishes to accelerate its business goals and boost up its profits hires a Business Analyst Manager. Business Management Analysts set organizational goals, oversee Project Analysts and other team members, and create project schedules. In short, they look for ways to maximize production.

The following are the responsibilities that need to be fulfilled by a Business Analyst Manager in a company: 

• Budget planning and growth, as well as ensuring that they are adhered to by all
• Managing and supervising a team of Project Analysts, IT staff, and others
• Creating projects, upgrading schedules, and ensuring that everyone assigned to the tasks is on the same page 
• Understanding and maintaining different business divisions
• Establishing professional relationships with vendors and clients
• Responsible for hiring and training new employees

The following skills are required by a Business Analyst Manager:

• Strong team leadership and development skills
• Awareness of emerging technological advances and inventions
• Database architecture and design skills
• Communication, negotiation, and problem-solving abilities
• Critical-thinking and multitasking capabilities

The average annual salary of a Business Analyst Manager in India is ₹1,602,398.

Preparing for a Business Analyst interview? Intellipaat’s Business Analyst Interview Questions might help you crack your interview.

Information Security Analyst

Information Security Analysts protect a company’s confidential and mission-critical data by keeping one step ahead of cyberattackers. They do this by developing novel ways to prevent sensitive information from being hacked, destroyed, or exploited by hackers.

Information Security Analyst roles and responsibilities are as mentioned below:

• Keeping an eye on computer networks for security flaws
• Investigating security breaches and other events involving Cyber Security
• Installing firewalls and data encryption software, as well as other security measures and tools, to secure networks and the information infrastructure
• Keeping track of security breaches and any harm they cause
• Maintaining a high level of protection by fixing any vulnerabilities discovered
• Collaborating with the security team to run checks and find network flaws

Skills required to land an Information Security Analyst job are as follows:

• Software like Tableau 
• Cybersecurity
• Network security management
• Security testing and auditing
• Analytical thinking 

In India, on average, an Information Security Analyst is paid ₹621,213 per annum.

Solutions Architect

As a Solutions Architect, you will be responsible for analyzing modern computer infrastructure, planning and implementing emerging technological solutions, and adapting software and hardware to complement the existing business environment to meet an organization’s needs.

Here are the responsibilities of a Solutions Architect in a company:

• Identifying the most effective methods for completing projects and achieving the objectives
• Providing Project Managers with the requisite advice and perspective
• Identifying emerging technologies or developments worth pursuing to create a solution prototype
• Choosing and developing the technology to be used
• Managing the evolution of the chosen solution
• Assisting in project management from production to delivery

To full these responsibilities, the professional will require the following skills:

• DevOps
• IT infrastructure
• Business analysis
• Project and resource management
• Superior communication skills

The average annual salary of a Solutions Architect in India is ₹1,869,811.

Do you know what exactly a Business Analyst does? Check out the blog. 

Steps to Become a Business Analyst

You can step into your desired career as a Business Analyst with three steps. They are as follows:

Step 1: Finish Your Undergraduate Degree

Almost all Business Analysts hold a bachelor’s degree, but many go on to earn a master’s degree and other advanced degrees. However, their basic educational qualification must include an undergraduate degree in accounting, banking, or business management. So, complete your degree, and along the way, try improving your skills.

Step 2: Take up an Online Certification Course

You need to pursue certifications in Business Analyst-related courses to expand your skill set. To learn more about Business Analytics effectively, it is better to enroll in an online certification course that gives an in-depth knowledge of SQL, Tableau, Power BI, Agile Scrum Master, and other business analysis principles and tools. A certification will definitely help you improve your Business Analyst career growth.

Step 3: Gain Hands-on Experience

If you are studying, you can still get a head start in your career with summer internships in related fields. Gaining hands-on experience is well needed in a job as a Business Analyst because you can make better decisions only when you have experience. Moreover, to work on various tools such as Tableau and Power BI, you need a lot more experience. If you are already working in another job role and wish to switch to business analysis, then ask your supervisor or manager to consider you for projects that require business analysis skills or to put you on a team that might require you to work as a Business Analyst. This would help you gain experience, and eventually, you will be on track in your Business Analyst career.

The scope of a Business Analyst job is vast, and there are multiple opportunities for a Business Analyst in the industry. Therefore, if you are a Business Analyst enthusiast, then choose the right Business Analyst career path and pursue the same. Intellipaat will help you in landing your dream job. Through various hands-on assignments and case studies, Intellipaat’s Business Analyst Certification will train you on the core skill sets of Business Analysts, such as requirement preparation and elicitation, project management, Business Analyst methods and techniques, business process modeling, and more. Enroll yourself in this Business Analyst course today and gain in-depth knowledge.

If you have any questions related to Business Analysis, ask them in our community now!

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