If achieving a work-life balance is top of your priorities, you’re not alone. Over two-thirds of UK workers see work-life balance as being more important to them than both pay and employee benefits put together, and it comes in at number one of the most valued aspects of a job*.
Why is it then, that so few of us go on to actually achieve it?
For most of us, it’s our chosen career path that will end up dictating our chances of achieving a work-life balance. While there will be opportunities along the way to change roles and sectors to better suit our lifestyle, choosing a path that offers up the right balance from the start gives us the best chance of achieving it.
It’s what makes a career in business analysis so popular, and the main reason why those of us who have been fortunate enough to have spent many years working in the field rarely leave!
Achieving a work-life balance through a career in business analysis
The business analyst role features regularly in lists of the best UK jobs for work-life balance** and with good reason. A career in business analysis offers up that rare balance of financial stability, job satisfaction, and the opportunity to have a real impact on business success. Training in business analysis doesn’t have to take a lifetime either. Whether you are looking for a career change, want to move into a more client-facing role or have gained qualifications in business analysis up to diploma level, carving out a career in business analysis could be the best decision you ever make. Here’s why:
It brings financial stability
Let’s face it, our chances of achieving a work-life balance dramatically increase when our income rises. The great thing about training in business analysis is that any investment soon pays off and it’s an area that pays very well. What’s more, it’s also a sector of huge growth in the UK, with business analysts very much in demand – something that is likely to remain as businesses continue to adapt to changing economic environments. While the business analyst role will keep evolving, the core skills that business analysts possess will continue to be needed for many years to come. As a profession that is continually adapting to keep pace with changes in technology, business analysis is certainly an exciting, growing and financially stable profession to work in.
There’s no restriction to how far you can climb
Working within business analysis offers up a wealth of job opportunities, and the best thing about it is that there is no limit to how far you can climb. If you gain as much experience as possible, continue to pursue qualifications (training in business analysis up to diploma level is beneficial) and seek to add value to every project you work on, this will put you in good stead. You don’t have to look far to find a case study of a business analysis consultant rising into a leadership or high-level management position – many go on to reap the rewards of a high-level executive role and there is always the option to start your own business analysis consultancy service too.
You can have real impact on the businesses you work with
The great joy of working in business analysis is that you can directly see the value you are adding to a business; value that can be easily measured and validated by the success of a project. Whether it’s delivering a project on time and on budget, maximising the efficiency of the team, providing a solution to a long-standing business problem or establishing new systems and processes, business analysts bring value for stakeholders, developers and project managers alike. This ability to play a critical role in improving performance, while achieving a work-life balance and making a real difference to how businesses operate, results in huge job satisfaction.
You can continually learn and grow within the profession
Whether you’re refining your data analysis skills, completing extra training in modelling business processes or completing a qualification in stakeholder engagement, there are always new ways to learn and improve in business analysis – it’s one of the joys of working as an analyst and what keeps it so interesting. Work-based training is a great way to gain new qualifications from the Foundation in Business Analysis right through to the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis. Training helps strengthen and broaden your career options as you progress and develop your long term professional career. There are also a myriad of different sectors in which you can choose to specialise so the chances of feeling bored, disillusioned or disconnected from the field are far and few between.
Manage your own schedule and workload
In a lot of ways, managing your own schedule and workload gives you the ultimate freedom when it comes to day to day work. Of course, you will still need to work hard and sometimes put in extra hours when working to tight deadlines, but being in control of when and how you complete your work can be incredibly empowering and freeing. You’ll often hear it said that there is no typical day in the role of a business analyst; each day brings new challenges to overcome so it’s particularly appealing to those people that value dynamic working environments where you can continuously develop your problem-solving skills.
If achieving a work-life balance is important to you and you’re looking for a career change or perhaps a more client-facing role, there has never been a better time to move into the field of business analysis. At Amatis Training we provide BCS accredited courses in all areas from the Foundation in Business Analysis, to the Practitioner certificate in Modelling Business Processes, right through to the BCS International Diploma in Business Analysis. For more information about how we deliver our courses, just give us a call on +44 (0)1225 836084 – we’d be very happy to answer any questions you may have.
* https://www.ciphr.com/the-most-important-aspects-of-a-job/
** https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/blog/20-uk-jobs-worklife-balance/