Hi Riddhi,
I suggest starting here!
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/becoming-a-business-analyst/

Or perhaps joining my Fast Track course which gives me the opportunity to learn a lot more about your career situation and offer personalized advice:
http://mybusinessanalysiscareer.com/fast-track

Many thanks for sharing your experience. Honestly speaking, I was so much confused till now as this was the exact scenario for me.

Basically I am an insurance professional with 9 years of experience in insurance domain. Since I have managed multi disciplinary roles within my career,my inclination have always been towards becoming a good business analyst.I migrated to Australia (from India) in Sep 2010 and currently working with Health Insurance domain.

My apolgies for sharing my experience in length but the reason to share is only that I have been struggling to learn “What is the first step ever for me to enter into the BA industry” ? Since not being core IT professional, do I need to study some BA related courses ? Your website has given me such a great insight. But honestly, I am still looking for the first step ever to get entry into the business analysis industry !!! 🙂

Thanks again.

Kind Regards,
Riddhi Vachharajani

Hi Ijeoma,
You might start with this post on the role of a business analyst.
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/what-is-a-business-analyst-role-anyway/‘

and this one on becoming a BA:
http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/becoming-a-business-analyst/

In terms of this specific job, it depends on the job requirements. If experience in oil and gas was listed as “required”, then someone without the required experience is unlikely to be interviewed. Here is a post on how industry qualifications impact your BA job search:

http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/how-industry-expertise-can-impact-your-business-analyst-job-search/

Laura

Adriana,

A survey is a great idea! And I think you nailed it when you wrote:

“what types of experiences acquired using a “BA mindset” actually helped someone get a BA job?”

The mindset really leads to tangible work experiences. At least, that was true for me. I took on a new role in QA and defined a new process. For me, the mindset directly led to the opportunity to create process flows (or in this case, procedure documentation).

It sounds to me like you also applied your process mindset in a work setting, the tangible result of which was process flows and recommended process improvements. Do you also think one led to the other? Or, was it the reverse in your case? (The opportunity to document process flows leading to the development of a process mindset.)

Ijeoma.