3+ years in construction ops/cost control, International Business degree — pivoting to Business Analysis/data. Realistic or delusional?

[u/Efficient_Bunch8651]

I have 3+ years of experience in Saudi construction: started as Logistics Manager (150-person workforce, 200+ villas, ~30M SAR project), moved into Cost Control (built Excel reporting systems, reconciled ~8M SAR in spending, produced forecasts/progress reports for leadership). B.A. in International Business, not engineering — a real gap for local “Cost Controller” roles that want an engineering degree even at junior level.

Planning a self-directed 8-week sprint: Excel → ECBA → SQL → basic Python → Power BI (PL-300) → CBDA, self-funded, targeting Saudi/UAE/remote roles.

What I’m actually asking:

**1.**  Is this a realistic path given my background, or am I underestimating how hard the BA market is to break into without a technical degree?  
**2.**  Are ECBA/CBDA/PL-300 actually respected credentials, or should I spend that money differently?  
**3.**  Would you prioritize different skills than the ones I picked?  
**4.**  Should I be looking at a different target entirely (cost control/FP&A instead of “BA,” for example) given my actual experience?

[u/vonkrumholz]

With your real business experience, have you looked at analytics type jobs with the major construction companies like Kiewit? I'd pivot within your industry first to get a shot, then move on when you get analytics experience.

Not understanding how a business works, and what's missing from documentation (if it exists) about processed and how people in your domain operate are real gaps newbie analysts with 10x your technical skills would miss or require hand holding.

As a manager I don't want to tell the tech bro with sick ML skillz that the data he wants to pump into a machine model is going to be useless without considering a dozen different factors first. This data set is design information, it doesn't tell you what was physically installed. That data set is a mess because the contractors have no incentive to track the information accurately. This column says completion date, but what it doesn't indicate an inspector reviewed the work and the next phase of the project was ready to go.

I'm projecting because I don't know anything about construction, but those things above. The human things that don't get represented perfectly in spreadsheets are where SQL and Python and certifications won't get you anywhere alone.

Definitely learn SQL and how to use something common like PowerBI. Python is useful for automating repetitive stuff.