Over the years, I’ve been asked by many graduates in Australia—often with a Masters in Business Analytics and backgrounds outside of ICT—about the career opportunities in business analytics. There’s a significant misconception that business analytics is the same as being a tech (ICT) business analyst.
Simply put, it’s not.
I’ve even created an entire course, the Business Analyst Role Guide, to explain what’s expected from a tech business analyst. So where does that leave business analytics graduates? It leaves a huge opportunity for non-ICT professionals to learn foundational analytics that will empower them to excel in business functions.
The Misconception: Business Analytics vs. ICT Business Analysis
There’s widespread misinformation among graduates that the two roles are interchangeable. Business analytics, as taught in many postgraduate programs, focuses on data interpretation and generating insights to drive decision-making across various business functions. In contrast, a tech or ICT business analyst not only needs to understand data but also the technical underpinnings of IT systems. They’re expected to bridge the gap between business needs and the technology that delivers solutions.
For example, a tech business analyst must:
- Understand the technical architecture of systems.
- Engage early with cybersecurity and privacy teams.
- Translate business requirements into technical specifications that engineers can act upon.
This depth of technical understanding is often not part of a typical business analytics curriculum. But that doesn’t mean business analytics graduates are without opportunities—it just means the path might require additional learning and a pivot towards embracing IT fundamentals.
Opportunities for Non-ICT Professionals
Elevating Business Functions with Analytics
In my career, I’ve worked closely with sales and marketing operations at companies like Microsoft. I spent countless hours in monthly, quarterly, half-year, and annual business reviews, often wrestling with Excel spreadsheets. Imagine how much more powerful these processes could be with a bit of Python knowledge and a deeper understanding of analytics. With these skills, one can analyze business performance more effectively and drive data-driven decisions that truly move the needle.
Similarly, in the health industry, I’ve often had to dive deep into service delivery data. While spreadsheets are a starting point, many insights come from collaborating with data engineers to extract and manipulate data based on complex business rules. Sometimes the data isn’t neatly packaged in a single sheet—it requires basic VLOOKUPs in Excel, or even more complex manipulations, to shape it for meaningful analysis.
In every industry—from healthcare to finance, from sales to marketing—the ability to harness analytics can transform operations and improve outcomes.
Expanding Career Horizons
For non-ICT professionals, learning business analytics opens up exciting opportunities beyond traditional roles. These roles aren’t necessarily “IT jobs” in the classic sense—they’re business roles empowered by IT. When you know how to work with data, even basic IT skills can give you an edge in strategic decision-making.
Yet, here lies a challenge for many business analytics graduates—especially international students—who often aim for classic IT roles. There’s a substantial IT professional shortage in Australia, but there’s also a significant knowledge gap. Transitioning from business analytics to a mainstream IT role, such as a tech business analyst, often requires experience working with both engineering teams and business stakeholders. The leap to software engineering, cloud computing, or software implementation demands even more specialized skills.
With the advent of generative AI, some of these gaps can be reduced, but the foundational knowledge remains essential—and often, it’s outside the scope of typical business analytics programs.
Navigating the Gap: Next Steps and Learning Opportunities
To pivot from business analytics into mainstream IT roles, a considerable amount of learning is necessary. I’ve seen this gap firsthand. Fortunately, there are resources and courses designed to help bridge this divide.
Courses and Resources
I’ve released a series of free courses aimed at providing practical, foundational knowledge in analytics:
- Python for Data Analytics Kick Starter:
A beginner-friendly course that introduces Python programming for data manipulation and analysis. - Getting Starte with Google Colab and Gemini for Data Analysis:
A hands-on course focused on leveraging cloud-based tools for data analysis. - GDP Data Analysis using Google Colab:
A course that takes real-world data and shows how to extract actionable insights.
Coming soon, I’m also launching a suite of business analytics courses tailored for non-ICT professionals in fields like finance, sales, and marketing.
For those looking to bridge the gap to mainstream IT roles, I also offer courses such as:
- Getting Started with Gen AI using v0.dev and Next.js (Vercel):
This course provides a taste of modern development practices and how AI can streamline processes, helping to close the skill gap for aspiring tech business analysts.
By building on these learning opportunities, business analytics graduates can gradually acquire the technical skills needed to transition into IT roles that are in high demand.
The Future of Business Analytics: Embracing a Hybrid Model
The landscape isn’t binary—it’s not about choosing between a pure business analytics role and a tech role. Rather, the future likely lies in a hybrid model where professionals are well-versed in both analytics and IT. This hybrid skill set is particularly valuable in today’s data-driven business environment.
In such roles, you don’t just work with data; you’re also expected to understand the underlying systems that generate, process, and secure that data. This dual expertise allows for more agile decision-making and fosters better collaboration between business and engineering teams.
Conclusion: Embrace the Learning Journey
There’s no doubt that there’s a huge opportunity for non-ICT professionals to excel in business analytics. However, the misconception that business analytics is the same as being a tech business analyst can be misleading. To truly succeed and unlock the potential of data-driven decision-making, it’s essential to acquire a foundational understanding of IT—from system architecture and secure data handling to agile project methodologies.
For those of you navigating this transition, I encourage you to explore the free courses and resources I’ve developed, and to consider additional training to bridge the gap. Whether you’re aiming for a role in finance, sales, marketing, or a more technical business analyst position, the skills you develop today will be the stepping stones for tomorrow’s success.
The demand for IT professionals remains high in Australia, and by embracing this hybrid approach, you can position yourself to not only fill that gap but also to drive innovative, data-driven solutions in any business environment.
Embrace the journey of continuous learning, leverage the available resources, and remember—your ability to blend business analytics with IT expertise is the key to unlocking a brighter, more dynamic career.
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