How to accumulate knowledge in business analysis without a big training budget (video)

I know, belts are tight. In the reader survey I conducted earlier this year 25% of you said you had zero budget from your employer for professional development.

I often underplay the role of accumulating business analysis knowledge. You see, I’m a “buckle up the chin strap” sort of business analyst who learned the role mostly through experience on a limited budget made up of mostly my own money. I was lucky to have a mentor and a decent process and I just started doing what BAs do. And for some reason I was reasonably successful at it.

But all along the way, I had books. I used web resources. I developed an informal learning network with my peers. And I was going to graduate school in library and information science (employer reimbursed), which ended up being much more related to starting a career in business analysis than one might think. I joined ASIS&T, a society for Information Architecture professionals (BA’s close cousin)….No, I wasn’t defecting, this was before that infamous meeting in Toronto when IIBA was born!

So yes, I was accumulating knowledge. But when I look back at my career, I see the experiences more than I see “what I learned.” And so that’s what I talk about most here at Bridging the Gap.

So, today, I take a break from all the talk about experience (as important as that is) and focus on accumulating new knowledge. What are the resources we have available to us as business analysts? And, even more specifically than that, how can you go about accumulating knowledge without a big training budget?

I run through A LOT of ideas in this video. Here’s what I’d recommend as a 5 step action plan:

1) Join IIBA. Seriously. With your membership you receive access to premium webinars and a library of online books. At $95 it’s about the best possible return on your training investment out there. It’s a no brainer.

2) Join a local IIBA chapter. Typically this costs about $25 and gives you free access to in-person presentations, local knowledge resources (i.e. your BA peers), and opportunities to get involved in the profession.

3) Read one blog post or attend one webinar each day. If every day is too much, then aim for 3 times / week. It should take you about 10 minutes to read a blog post and you can do this over your morning coffee.

4) Buy or borrow a book on business analysis, a related profession, or about an underlying competency such as influence or communication. Read a book / month. Do something with what you learned. (Use your local public library as a resource. Yes, I’ve still got a bit of librarian in me yet. )

5) Give up your morning Starbucks or some other non-necessity and buy a resource or tool that helps you become a better person. I’ve invested over $1500 in my own professional development this year and there is no employer paying the bills. Each investment comes out of my own pocketbook and I do it because it’s about helping me grow as a person and a professional. That’s uber-important.

The important thing is not that you follow my plan. The important thing is that you do something. No training budget is not a professional liability, it’s an excuse for failing to invest in the most important thing of all — yourself.

By Laura Brandenburg. Laura Brandenburg is passionate about business analysis. She's found her niche helping aspiring business analysts find transferable skills and position themselves in the BA job market. To stay up-to-date on the latest from Bridging the Gap be sure to sign-up for our free email course and weekly eNewsletter. View more blog posts by Laura Brandenburg

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