Comments on: Is your strength grounded in system knowledge or business analyst competencies? http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/is-your-strength-grounded-in-system-knowledge-or-business-analyst-competencies/ Advance Your Business Analysis Career Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:08:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Laura Brandenburg http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/is-your-strength-grounded-in-system-knowledge-or-business-analyst-competencies/comment-page-1/#comment-10399 Laura Brandenburg Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:24:58 +0000 http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/?p=1098#comment-10399 Eve, Thank you so, so much for sharing your story and the impact my story had on your career. It sounds like you are headed for bigger and better things. Yes, I remember my first days, no months, in my new role in a new organization (made more challenging by the fact that I'd also uprooted and moved across the country by myself). I did feel many times like I was drowning in new information and that I couldn't possibly provide as much value as I did in my old role. Luckily I had an amazing mentor/manager who believed in me and didn't let me doubt myself. Trust me, you will look back at this time with pride very, very soon. It's difficult but it's worth it. It will open up so many possibilities for you. Once you learn a new domain, the third is easier and the fourth is even easier...and then all of a sudden you feel confident you could handle a very wide variety of situations. Thanks again, and check back soon Eve to let us know how it's going! Eve,
Thank you so, so much for sharing your story and the impact my story had on your career. It sounds like you are headed for bigger and better things. Yes, I remember my first days, no months, in my new role in a new organization (made more challenging by the fact that I’d also uprooted and moved across the country by myself). I did feel many times like I was drowning in new information and that I couldn’t possibly provide as much value as I did in my old role. Luckily I had an amazing mentor/manager who believed in me and didn’t let me doubt myself.

Trust me, you will look back at this time with pride very, very soon. It’s difficult but it’s worth it. It will open up so many possibilities for you. Once you learn a new domain, the third is easier and the fourth is even easier…and then all of a sudden you feel confident you could handle a very wide variety of situations.

Thanks again, and check back soon Eve to let us know how it’s going!

]]> By: Eve McGivern http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/is-your-strength-grounded-in-system-knowledge-or-business-analyst-competencies/comment-page-1/#comment-10397 Eve McGivern Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:25:17 +0000 http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/?p=1098#comment-10397 Laura, I wanted to let you know that this has been a critical article for me, as this both encouraged me to make a recent job transition, and it has been assisting me in pulling through that transition. In short, I began questioning my skillset and considering if I was an effective Business Systems Analyst, or if I was relying on my technical and systems knowledge to see me through. When I initially encountered this article, I put a two-fold plan into action: a. achieving the CBAP certificiation (I suppose as 'proof' of my BSA legitimacy, as well as an avenue to opening new opportunities), and b. breaking away from my current domain and existing systems knowledge (with which I had grown comfortable) to a completely different domain in which I had no little to no prior knowledge. It was a frightening choice, and I had to keep telling myself why I was making the move. When I finally made the move, I had to once again tell myself why I had made the move. Even now, when I get discouraged and crave the familiarity of old systems, I realize I need to maintain faith in my BA competencies (I might make a case that the BA profession is in itself a 'system'!). I admit, I was surprised that I was hired into a new domain sector (even if inside the same industry), so I consider myself lucky to have been hired by someone with the foresight to recognize that BA/BSA skills need not be systems nor domain specific. Laura, I wanted to let you know that this has been a critical article for me, as this both encouraged me to make a recent job transition, and it has been assisting me in pulling through that transition. In short, I began questioning my skillset and considering if I was an effective Business Systems Analyst, or if I was relying on my technical and systems knowledge to see me through. When I initially encountered this article, I put a two-fold plan into action: a. achieving the CBAP certificiation (I suppose as ‘proof’ of my BSA legitimacy, as well as an avenue to opening new opportunities), and b. breaking away from my current domain and existing systems knowledge (with which I had grown comfortable) to a completely different domain in which I had no little to no prior knowledge.

It was a frightening choice, and I had to keep telling myself why I was making the move. When I finally made the move, I had to once again tell myself why I had made the move. Even now, when I get discouraged and crave the familiarity of old systems, I realize I need to maintain faith in my BA competencies (I might make a case that the BA profession is in itself a ‘system’!). I admit, I was surprised that I was hired into a new domain sector (even if inside the same industry), so I consider myself lucky to have been hired by someone with the foresight to recognize that BA/BSA skills need not be systems nor domain specific.

]]> By: Laura Brandenburg http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/is-your-strength-grounded-in-system-knowledge-or-business-analyst-competencies/comment-page-1/#comment-8849 Laura Brandenburg Sat, 09 Apr 2011 00:47:11 +0000 http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/?p=1098#comment-8849 L, This is a common problem in the job market today. But those jobs DO exist and you will find them. Just think, if you had just one specialization in your experience, you would only qualify for a very small handful of the jobs anyway. Exposure to multiple industries and systems is likely to be a stronger benefit in the long-run. L, This is a common problem in the job market today. But those jobs DO exist and you will find them. Just think, if you had just one specialization in your experience, you would only qualify for a very small handful of the jobs anyway. Exposure to multiple industries and systems is likely to be a stronger benefit in the long-run.

]]> By: L http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/is-your-strength-grounded-in-system-knowledge-or-business-analyst-competencies/comment-page-1/#comment-8817 L Tue, 05 Apr 2011 08:30:25 +0000 http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/?p=1098#comment-8817 It is interesting you should highlight the need for working ourside the sytems / industry realm and working ourside ones confort zone. I have always been the one to look at the business needs and translating to systems. Given my expereince has been on a variety of industries focusing on a varietyof IT tool selection and implementation, I don't have an "expertise" in 1 system or industry. I do have strong technical skills and the ability to appreciate new technology which helps me look at business requirements and convert to more functional or technical ones. I would like to think I am good at what I do. I thought that was the key to being a good business analyst - except when it came to finding a new job. All the job adverts for a BA seem to concentrate entirely on industry and system focused experience than business focussed and I see no interviews coming my way. Made me question the whole business versus systems arguement! It is interesting you should highlight the need for working ourside the sytems / industry realm and working ourside ones confort zone.

I have always been the one to look at the business needs and translating to systems. Given my expereince has been on a variety of industries focusing on a varietyof IT tool selection and implementation, I don’t have an “expertise” in 1 system or industry. I do have strong technical skills and the ability to appreciate new technology which helps me look at business requirements and convert to more functional or technical ones. I would like to think I am good at what I do. I thought that was the key to being a good business analyst – except when it came to finding a new job.

All the job adverts for a BA seem to concentrate entirely on industry and system focused experience than business focussed and I see no interviews coming my way. Made me question the whole business versus systems arguement!

]]> By: Wei Yin http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/is-your-strength-grounded-in-system-knowledge-or-business-analyst-competencies/comment-page-1/#comment-6949 Wei Yin Sun, 03 Oct 2010 16:08:35 +0000 http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/?p=1098#comment-6949 Thanks Laura. This helps a lot. ~Wei Yin Thanks Laura.

This helps a lot.

~Wei Yin

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