4 Analytics roles for MBA(Analytics) folks

I was at the Indian School of Business a few weeks back. It was the graduation ceremony of the 6th batch of their Certificate Programme in Business Analytics (CBA). We had a brief panel discussion, and one of the smart young students in the audience asked “What kind of roles exist for us, in the Analytics Industry?”

I frequently deliver guest lectures on Analytics in B-Schools to. And this is, by far, the most commonly asked question. Especially when someone has 5-10 years of experience already under her belt, the question of “can I drastically change my job profile?” runs high on people’s minds.

Those of you who have a few years of work experience (in a non-Analytics job), and are pursuing an Analytics-related B-School course… here are some roles you can fit in:

1.   Business Development Manager – If you have some form of sales/pre-sales experience, and you have completed a management + analytics program, organizations will be open to considering you for B2B sales. Professional Service firms (IT/Consulting/BPO/KPO) in the Analytics space are always looking for people who understand Analytics, and can manage client relations. Word of caution – not all sales experiences are completely transferable. In case you have been selling earthmoving equipment through local dealers in tier-2 cities of India, not sure how far that experience would help you in selling Analytics to senior executives in Fortune 500 firms.

2.   Solution Architect – Typically, pure Analytics professionals are a bit too Geeky, and prefer to focus on the mathematical problems rather than deal with clients. There is a burning need for people who can straddle the two worlds…a) dealing with clients, understanding their needs and problems b) converting the business problem into a mathematical problem (which the Geeks can attack). MBAs (with Analytics) are usually good for such roles. These roles are fairly common, can be “meaty”, and throw open loads of growth opportunities.

3.   Project Manager – Those with prior experience in IT/Coding can explore classic Project Management roles – especially in BI (Business Intelligence)/Dashboard kind of work. There is a very close relation between “descriptive analytics” work and conventional IT projects; that kind of experience surely gives you an edge. IT firms expanding their Analytics portfolio are aggressively hiring for such roles.

4.   Domain Expert – Let’s say you have been working in a Telecom firm for last 8 years, and now you have completed a MBA + Analytics program. Someone looking for deep expertise in Telecom space will be happy to speak with you. Needless to say, such roles tend to be limited.

Now here is a lesser-known-fact – All said and done, your prior experience plays a critical role in the new roles you will be considered for. Too many professionals take a plunge into an Analytics course…hoping to drastically change their profiles afterwards. When you have 8~10 years of experience, organizations are typically averse to testing you in something completely new; the fit between the new role and your past experience carries significant weightage.

Best of luck. Do share your experience – which role did you land up in?

Ram is a Research & Analytics Leader who loves to discuss the lessons he learns from everyday life – through meeting clients, talking to friends and (believe it or not) listening to music. This is a humble attempt to convert some of these experiences and lessons into an interesting read. You can connect with him on LinkedIn , or follow him on Twitter