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I've been working in IT for >11 years mostly as software developer on Microsoft platforms. My ideal has always been to go direction of Business Analyst. This ideal was realized >2 years ago, but since a few weeks the economic crises forced me back to being non-manager Software Developer.

I need advice on trainings, career insight etc. on how to get back on track.
Having worked since day 1 always working in tech "nerd" pizza-cola-world-of-warcraft environment. Its end game. I cant take it anymore!

Transitioning to the BA-role was nearly impossible, because my previous lack of soft skills and user-level contact. Thanks to the Manager-Tools podcast much has changed :). I have learnt communicating in a more business-like way, started a own blog about my experiences(http://gdb1.nl).

My BA-experience consists of working 1-yr with a senior BA. The year thereafter was all on my own.
The economic slump of recently caused many companies to cut down on new developments & focus on maintining old systems. I was unable to secure anymore BA-work. Now, (indefinitley) back again to software development. My employer has only 1 goal with me: earning money, in whatever way possible.

I want to get back to BA. I just dont know how, most importantly is to gain experience so as to get hired as BA! My last contract was ended bcs no funding to realize the system for which i made the Analysis.

In order to gain experience I am thinking about
1. Privatley funding the development of a Analysis that i did for a terminated project, by using offshoring.
2. Follow trainings by private companies. Expensive.

My college education of >=13 years ago was Financial Management.
Now, my employer is sub-contracting me out to a company intending on training me from 0 to be used as enterprise connectivity developer. My sole reason for agreeing was to maintain employement. My employer knows about my desire to be BA. I am afraid of openly speaking to my employer in more detail about my future bcs i am in my probation period.. cant financially afford to be without a job.

I really want to get back to level of talking to product manager/end user contact.

UP2L8's picture

1. Can't your programming skills be directed toward business analysis? A lot of business analysis is number crunching.

2. Do you have the time and energy to update your education?

DarrellNorton's picture

So you really want to work in a position that admittedly has little job security? Sounds weird to me.

I work in a consulting firm that has both technical people (developers) and business analysts. To rise through the ranks as a BA consultants have to have a solid grasp of technical concepts (which you have). They also have to SPECIALIZE in something. When you were/are a developer, you have specialized in Microsoft technologies. You have to specialize in something as a BA. Find a niche and become great at it.

career's picture

I have joined as manager for a team (new company) around 6 months back. This team is comprised of very senior engineers. Most of them have been working for the company for more than 5 years. I am having difficult time to have regular scheduled 1-1 with them. I have scheduled weekly 1-1 with all of them the first week I joined. For every 1-1, I go to their cube and they say they have nothing to discuss with me. After few times, I stopped going to their cubes. These 1-1 show up on my calendar. They don't come or I don't go. Lately, I don't feel good about this at all. Please give me suggestions as how I can connect and have regular 1-1.

merasmus's picture

They don't come or I don't go. Lately, I don't feel good about this at all. Please give me suggestions as how I can connect and have regular 1-1.

We are at differnt ends.. i'd love to have this type of interaction, it would benefit me greatly!
Those technical engineering types usually arent communicative, they like to be left alone with their programcode. Coming around to have 1-on-1 is agreat idea.. but to them you are only disturbing. They're into habit work at this company for along time with a mindset.
Mayve approach them once in 2 weeks..? Or just ask which of them would like 1-on-1's, and explain the reason for doing so?

bflynn's picture

You shouldn't feel good about this, you know you should do O3s and you're allowing them to be skipped.  DON'T WORRY ABOUT BEING A BOTHER TO YOUR STAFF.  You're not an obstruction to their jobs.  These are engineers, they are mostly focused on them accomplishing tasks.  Its what they do.

Reboot the process - write and send out a fresh email admitting that you've haven't been doing the O3s religiously and announcing the restarting of them.  Have the engineers come to you.  Do this at your desk, not theirs, what they're really saying isn't "I have nothing to say", its "I don't want to be bothered".  Spread the schedule out so you have one per hour.  If someone  doesn't come, call them in case they've forgotten.  If someone doesn't come, give them feedback.  if they still don't come, give them more feedback.

If they have nothing, then ask them questions and engage them.  Ask what project they're working on and then ask about some tangental thing - "Hey, you're working on something for P&G, right.  Did you see where their software developers do such and such?  How could we adapt that to work for us?"  If they don't want to talk, then they can listen to your 10 minutes, then the 10 minutes of waterfall.  Yes, their job is to write code, but I've been one of them.  You're not going to tell me that they can't "spare" 30 minutes.  Its 1.25% of their week if they only work a 40  hour week.  If they're like a lot of developers, they actually work a 50 hour week, so its only 1%.

They can spare 1%.  Trust me.

Brian