Stage 1 of 7 · 9 lessons · ~2 weeks
The landscape of non-coding tech roles
What business analysts actually do, where they work, and how the role compares with product management, project management and the other roles in this roadmap. Test your fit by mapping one real process and writing a few requirements before you commit.
Start: What "beyond coding" really meansLessons· one lesson for each topic, in this order
- 1What "beyond coding" really meansLesson
- 2Product manager: deciding what gets built and whyLesson
- 3Technical writer: making products usable through docsLesson
- 4Developer relations: helping outside developers succeedLesson
- 5Business analyst: turning needs into clear requirementsLesson
- 6Adjacent roles: project manager, business analyst, solutions engineer, customer successLesson
- 7Who does well in each roleLesson
- 8The job market, honestlyLesson
- 9Testing your fit with small real tasksLesson
Do this
- Read ten real business analyst postings and highlight the tasks, tools and domains they ask for.
- Write one paragraph each on business analysis, product management and project management in your own words.
- Note which industries in your market hire the most BAs, such as banking, telecoms or IT services.
- Map one real process you can observe, such as a shop's ordering or a society's event sign-up, on paper.
- Write five requirements for improving it and check that each one could be tested.
- Talk to one working business analyst and ask what a normal week looks like.
Start with
- GuideFreeThe Business Analysis Standard
IIBA · Beginner
IIBA's free, short standard: the core concepts and knowledge areas of business analysis in plain terms
Keep handy
Before moving on: A one-page note on the business analyst role in your own words, how it differs from product and project management, ten real BA job postings reviewed, and one real process mapped with five requirements written for it.
Do not pick one of these roles because you want to avoid code. Pick it because you like the actual daily work: deciding, explaining or teaching. Spend a weekend doing a small version of that work before you spend months studying for it.