Why Should You Enroll in a Business Analyst Certification Program?
Every day, businesses are expanding and growing, and so is the need to analyze all of the data that goes along with measuring the success of day-to-day operations. Being able to efficiently analyze that data and then put a plan of action into place is where business analytics comes in.
Introduction to BA and its growth
Business analytics, also simply referred to as BA, is important data within an organization. This is data that is used to measure both success and failure, plan for future projects, and set goals. These days, most businesses depend on this information when it comes to making important decisions.
According to IDC1, approximately 55 percent of IT spending goes towards business growth initiatives, which inevitably has been increasing the need for business analyst professionals. Unfortunately, the demand is greater than the actual number of employable, certified business analysts, but this is why this is such a great career opportunity for anyone interested in analytics.
Why go for a business analytics certification?
The concept of business analytics may sound simple on the surface, but it takes a great deal of technical proficiency to excel as a business analyst. Skilled business analysts must thoroughly understand the technologies and the business, and make an organizational commitment to data-driven decision-making. It’s also crucial that business analysts receive an adequate amount of training, and the right business analyst certification course can provide just that.
According to a McKinsey study, there will eventually be more than 490,000 vacant jobs in the data science industry, but fewer than 200,000 qualified individuals to fill these roles. Techcrunch has also reported2 that worldwide, the demand for data scientists is eventually expected to exceed supply by more than 50 percent.
Because this field is growing so quickly with more companies recognizing the importance of business analytics, more jobs are becoming available.
Benefits of business analyst certifications
With so many organizations relying on business analytics each day, it’s no surprise that a business analyst certification is one of the more popular technology certifications available currently. If you’re looking to expand your career or change career paths completely, and data and technology fascinates you, training as a business analyst may be the best decision you ever make.
Looking for a little more motivation? Consider some of the following advantages of earning your business analyst certification:
The opportunity to grow in your career
This may seem like an obvious one, but it’s worth pointing out because for many, this reason alone is enough for people to pursue educational training in a specific field. In a competitive job market, job security is everything. Although having a business analyst certification is certainly no guarantee that you’ll always have a job, of course, being certified for something that’s in high demand certainly gives you an advantage.
Aside from job availability, there is also salary advantages to consider when it comes to enrolling in a business analyst certification course. Statistics from Business Wire3 revealed that in general, getting certified can increase salary from 20 percent to 40 percent. But so can things like learning Spanish; although if you want to skip ahead there, here are the most common Spanish verbs you should know
But let’s get a little more specific.
Glassdoor.com reports that the average business analyst in the United States earns a salary of $77,712 annually. The U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that the average individual salary in America is $34,940 annually. While salary isn’t everything when it comes to picking a career, let’s face it: for many, it’s a huge motivator. And with business analysts typically earning much more than the average salary, it’s easy to see why pursuing a career as a business analyst can be a good decision. It’s also important to consider the level of education that is required to potentially earn this level of salary. For many, earning more than the nationwide average means advanced schooling and earning a professional degree. But simply completing a business analyst certification course is often all the training you’ll need to start your new lucrative career.
Simplilearn explains in the below video about career growth in business analyst profession.
Structured learning approach
When students complete a business analyst certification course, they learn all about data analytics, from the basic fundamentals to the advanced components. A structured learning approach is crucial when it comes to learning data analytics. If you attempt to learn on your own through tutorials or blogs, you may only get bits and pieces of information. It’s likely that a lot of crucial information will fall through the cracks, and it can be difficult to build a deep understanding of data analytics without a structured learning approach.
The opportunity to work in just about any industry
Just about every business out there depends on data analytics these days. From retail to entertainment, to finance and healthcare, business analysts are often seen as valuable assets. This not only means there are more opportunities, but with all of the different industries you can possibly work in and use your skills in, it also means it’s almost impossible to get bored. As a business analyst, you’re almost guaranteed to find a job at a company in a sector that piques your interest. Most career paths don’t offer this level of flexibility and diversity.
Aside from the flexibility in the specific industry you work in, you also have the opportunity to work in different roles. Receiving a business analyst certification doesn’t just tie you down to working as a business analyst. You may qualify for other related positions, such as solution designer, product analyst, business architect, and so on.
Learn the most popular business analytics tools
As a business analyst, you’ll perform different tasks that use various tools. These tools are often necessary to work more efficiently and get your job done. When you receive the proper training, you’ll learn some of the most popular tools used in business analytics. For instance, you may need to learn SAS for analyzing massive data sets, or Tableau for excellent data visualization across enterprise data. If you take on a business analyst role without this training, you may end up making mistakes in your work, or not perform as well as you could have. It may also take longer to accomplish certain tasks.
If you decide to pursue a professional certification in business analytics, you’ll usually get the opportunity to learn tools like Microsoft Excel, NumPy, SciPy, Tableau, Python, R, SAS, and so on.
Learn to apply theoretical concepts to business problems
You can learn a lot of theoretical concepts from books, videos, or even from university courses. But only a practical certification course like Simplilearn’s Business Analytics Expert Masters Program will have industry experts showing you how to apply those concepts to actual business problems.
Show your commitment and dedication
Obtaining this certification can be somewhat challenging. Between studying and taking exams, the entire process can be time-consuming. When companies hire business analysts who have this certification, they are able to appreciate the fact that the candidate has put in a great deal of effort and worked hard to obtain this particular certification. It can also indicate that the candidate is capable of tackling challenging projects, and also performs well under pressure in order to meet (or exceed) company goals.
It also helps to put you ahead of the competition. If you and another applicant have relevant experience, for instance, but you’re the only one certified, you’ll be at an advantage.
Interact with peers and experts in business analytics
With Simplilearn’s LVC learning mode, you get to learn a lot from industry experts. Also, you get the opportunity to interact with professional business analysts.
If you’re looking to learn business analytics, you have a lot of choices. In addition to Simplilearn’s Business Analytics Expert program, Simplilearn also offers a program called Business Analytics Certification Training with Excel. These are just a couple of the great options available; to learn more about Simplilearn’s courses in analytics, feel free to browse their course catalog.