How to become a business analyst with no experience

Business analytics is an extremely lucrative career path for people of any career background. A business analyst certification can help you pivot your skill set in no time. This article discusses how to become a certified business analyst with no experience in just 3 steps.

What is business analytics?

Business analytics involves researching, collecting data and generating insights to solve business problems. Business analysts are involved in this process from start to finish, from the data collection to solution implementation.

Learn the basics of business analytics

Before deciding if you are interested in a business analytics career, learn what being a business analyst is all about. Business analytics is a developing field with growing opportunities for people of all professional backgrounds. Business analysts research, gather and analyse data to make decisions regarding business issues.

A business analyst may work on any aspect of a project, including the research, analysis, decision-making, implementation and evaluation. Therefore, business analytics is a wide-ranging sector suitable for people with a business, technical, or other background to switch into. Growing emphasis on business analytics has made it a well-paying field. The salary of a business analyst is above-average salary, at S$68000 per year.

What qualifications do I need to be a business analyst?

Business analysts do not necessarily need any formal education in business analytics to enter the industry. There are many pathways into business analytics, such as with a degree, work experience or a business analyst certificate. You can become a business analyst as long as you have the required technical and soft skills.

Source: Harvard Business School

What skills do I need to be a business analyst?

Business analysts should have a good understanding of business concepts and contexts to support their data-backed decision-making. Technical skills, such as Excel, SQL and Tableau are necessary for analysts to collate, handle and present data.

In addition, business analysts also need soft skills, such as critical thinking and decision-making skills. This is important in applying the data to the company and linking it to the business context to make decisions.

Getting a business analytics degree is a common pathway for a business analyst, especially for those new to the workforce. However, formal education is not the only way to build these necessary skills for a business analyst.

How do I start on becoming a business analyst with no prior experience?

Even without formal education or work experience, it is still possible to become a business analyst with a business analytics certification. You do not need prior experience as long as you have the skill set and can prove this to employers. This section discusses how you can build the skills necessary to become a business analyst with no prior experience.

Can I be a business analyst without a degree?

Yes, it is possible to become a business analyst without a degree. While soft skills can be developed with practice and experience, business analysts need to learn the technical skills required first.

Vertical Institute offers a business analytics course, covering the basics of data analysis, Excel, SQL and Tableau. This course is perfect for aspiring business analysts to build the hard skills required for working with and analysing data.

Is a business analyst certificate worth it?

Yes, a business analyst certificate is worth it. A business analyst certification shows potential employers that you are familiar with the basics of business analytics. However, go beyond the certification and show off your capabilities in your business analytics portfolio. Vertical Institute’s business analytics course also includes a capstone project to show off your newly developed data skills. 

Source: Online Course Report

Vertical Institute’s business analytics course, taught by industry experts, allows you to gain an accredited business analytics certification from home. This course sets you up for a career as a business analyst, connecting you to VI’s large community of professionals. Upon course completion, launch your career in business analytics with Vertical Institute’s dedicated career support and matching with hiring partners.

Don’t stop here! Continue upskilling with our other courses in digital marketing, UX design or data science and expand your career prospects.

About Vertical Institute

Vertical Institute prepares individuals for the jobs of tomorrow. We specialise in teaching in-demand skills, building the next generation of changemakers and inventors through our world-class tech courses and certifications. 

Singaporeans and PRs can receive up to 70% IBF Funding off their course fees with Vertical Institute. The remaining fees can be claimable with SkillsFuture Credits or NTUC UTAP Funding.