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IIBA.org 5 Benefits of Specialized Certification | Analyst Catalyst Blog

5 Benefits of Specialized Certification

 
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What do you attribute your success to? How do you show you have up-to-date, marketable skills? Is it your willingness to learn from volunteering for new projects or taking workshops and courses to develop your skills and experience level? Gaining a specialized certification is another option to showcase your commitment to your profession.


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Five reasons specialized certification will make you a better business analyst:

  1. Your experience in specialized areas will put you at an advantage when applying for a role. You can highlight your new skills with a digital badge to share your skills with your colleagues, boss, and future employers.

  2. Showcase your expertise in your profession with a specialized certification from IIBA in Agile Analysis, Business Data Analytics or Cybersecurity Analysis. These are all in-demand areas with opportunity for career growth. Digital transformation has created demand for agile experience, cybersecurity, and business data analytics and this translates into opportunities for the business analysis professional looking to develop their hard skills to take on these new opportunities.

  3. Advance your career by showcasing your special certifications. Let your employer know that you are committed to continuous learning and you are interested and are ready to be the organization’s go-to BA for the latest information in your field -whether that is security, agile or business data analytics.

  4. Building your skills bank by upgrading your knowledge and skills by earning your IIBA®-Agile Analysis Certification, Certificate in Cybersecurity Analysis or Certification in Business Data Analytics will give you the advantage of being ready to take on new responsibilities or a new role that requires your expertise.

  5. Displaying your digital badges and certificates online raise your profile on social media and help you gain recognition for your achievements. Posting your digital credential can lead to interviews and promotions. When sharing your digital credential write something specific to your achievements and add tags so your post reaches people outside your network.

 

Are you ready to step into a new role?

If you are thinking of transitioning from your current business analysis role to a more specialized or hybrid role, consider some growing areas. A business analyst skilled in cybersecurity analysis can help companies prevent and mitigate cyber-attacks. If you are wondering if this role might be the right fit ask yourself a few questions, such as are you the go-to solution resource for your organization, do you have experience with cybersecurity analysis (direct or in-direct), do you have training in cybersecurity? 1 These are all important questions to ask yourself. The joint IIBA and IEEE Computer Society’s learning and certification [Certificate in Cybersecurity Analysis (IIBA®-CCA)] provide the credibility of a joint certification and the opportunity to learn key cybersecurity concepts and tools you will need to work in this field.

For individuals working in agile, we have seen a 21% increase from 2017 to 2019 based on respondents in IIBA’s Global Business Analysis Salary Survey.2 IIBA’s Agile Analysis Certification  (IIBA®-AAC) is designed for analysis professionals who currently work in Agile environments and have knowledge of Agile practices. According to the BA Times,3 a few examples of agile skills you should possess include adaptability, goal orientation, innovation, leadership, empathy, and business orientation.

Business analysis professionals with an interest in supporting business analytics should check out the Certification in Business Data Analytics (IIBA®-CBDA). The business data analytics practice helps business analysts working with data scientists explain complex data results to senior leaders in business terms. To work in this area business analysis professionals should have good communication skills, problem solving, creative and critical thinking as well as storytelling.4 If you have a passion for data and a knack for sharing business results in business terms for example, using scenarios to explain how changes can drive revenue and customer engagement - including risk assessments and historical data to validate your recommendations - than a career in business data analytics may be an ideal fit for you.

Learn more at IIBA

IIBA offers three specialized certifications including agile analysis, business data analytics and cybersecurity analysis. To learn more about these certifications and to find training support please browse our endorsed training courses or check with your local IIBA Chapter for a virtual study group.

 

Join IIBA’s webinar, Augment Business Analysis Skills with Specialized Certification on June 24 at 12 PM EDT to learn more about the in-demand roles for business analysis professionals with specialized skill sets. Register here >

 

 
References:

1. IIBA Analyst Catalyst Blog. https://www.iiba.org/iiba-analyst-catalyst-blogs/are-you-ready-to-step-into-a-cybersecurity-role/

2. 2019 IIBA Global Business Analysis Salary Survey. https://www.iiba.org/professional-development/career-centre/global-ba-salary-survey/

3. The BA Times. What is an AGILE business analyst?

4. IIBA Analyst Catalyst Blog. https://www.iiba.org/iiba-analyst-catalyst-blogs/Influencing-Decision-Makers-with-Business-Data-Analytics/