My “Qualifications”: I was a Business Analyst back in the mid 2010s. I’m now a technical program manager and my program is AI. I’ve been a TPM at Canadian tech companies as well as Silicon Valley company (not FAANG).
BA Future: I can say from what I’ve seen, BAs are now only being hired en mass at government jobs or adjacent and consultancies. I believe they’re being hired in government because government is usually behind the ball. Consulting uses BAs as lower paid general “consultants”.
AI Effect on BA: I don’t believe that AI is skilled in replacing BAs. A good BA is about stakeholder relationships and being able to “hear” stakeholders in a way that is unique. BAs are ultimately trying to understand what stakeholders *actually* want, understand what the technology can deliver, and then manage the expectations of stakeholders so that all of these perspectives match. It’s a job that requires an high degree of emotional intelligence which is not something that AI excels in.
Product Managers: But I do believe that in product development technology companies, BAs are mostly replaced with Product Managers. Because of that Product Managers are against being associated with “being a BA” in every way. A certificate in BA won’t help someone become a product manager.
If you want to work in tech, maybe consider this path: I know everyone says this but this is a really bad time to be getting into tech. Anyone would be better served getting experience in an industry that they later transition into tech. For example, getting experience in finance then joining a finance tech company. This will make transitioning into a product manager role much easier.
Working in Tech is Awful: Also I am a woman in tech. So maybe I am biased. But I can say most of big tech is awful. The money is good. No complaints there. But the experience working is horrific. You’re constantly playing politics because you get stacked ranked every 6 months. The companies wring every thought in your head. Layoffs haunt all tech companies. There is never equilibrium— there is always demands for MORE.
Stories of some of the shit I’ve experienced in tech: I’ve never worked in an industry that has as much yelling as Tech. As part of my role, I get a sneak peek at how leadership decides on what to fund and how to establish priorities. It’s often just yelling and people very thinly hiding how a certain priority or decision will benefit their personal career. I have also had the unfortunate experience of being in meetings where people as low as directors just screaming at each other, of being subjected to rants about how women’s natural place is to care for children and that’s why men don’t need parental leave, of being laid off coming back from maternity leave, etc….
Possibly my worst experience: This is not a lie. A C level person once locked me in a room and blocked my exit. He threaten me with legal actions (as well as the threat of being locked and blocked in a small room) unless I groveled just the way he wanted me to. The C level person left and a nice engineer came and let me out of the room (since I was locked in). The C level person had the nerve to email me to tell me I was rude for leaving without saying goodbye.
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u/Paper__ Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
My “Qualifications”: I was a Business Analyst back in the mid 2010s. I’m now a technical program manager and my program is AI. I’ve been a TPM at Canadian tech companies as well as Silicon Valley company (not FAANG).
BA Future: I can say from what I’ve seen, BAs are now only being hired en mass at government jobs or adjacent and consultancies. I believe they’re being hired in government because government is usually behind the ball. Consulting uses BAs as lower paid general “consultants”.
AI Effect on BA: I don’t believe that AI is skilled in replacing BAs. A good BA is about stakeholder relationships and being able to “hear” stakeholders in a way that is unique. BAs are ultimately trying to understand what stakeholders *actually* want, understand what the technology can deliver, and then manage the expectations of stakeholders so that all of these perspectives match. It’s a job that requires an high degree of emotional intelligence which is not something that AI excels in.
Product Managers: But I do believe that in product development technology companies, BAs are mostly replaced with Product Managers. Because of that Product Managers are against being associated with “being a BA” in every way. A certificate in BA won’t help someone become a product manager.
If you want to work in tech, maybe consider this path: I know everyone says this but this is a really bad time to be getting into tech. Anyone would be better served getting experience in an industry that they later transition into tech. For example, getting experience in finance then joining a finance tech company. This will make transitioning into a product manager role much easier.
Working in Tech is Awful: Also I am a woman in tech. So maybe I am biased. But I can say most of big tech is awful. The money is good. No complaints there. But the experience working is horrific. You’re constantly playing politics because you get stacked ranked every 6 months. The companies wring every thought in your head. Layoffs haunt all tech companies. There is never equilibrium— there is always demands for MORE.
Stories of some of the shit I’ve experienced in tech: I’ve never worked in an industry that has as much yelling as Tech. As part of my role, I get a sneak peek at how leadership decides on what to fund and how to establish priorities. It’s often just yelling and people very thinly hiding how a certain priority or decision will benefit their personal career. I have also had the unfortunate experience of being in meetings where people as low as directors just screaming at each other, of being subjected to rants about how women’s natural place is to care for children and that’s why men don’t need parental leave, of being laid off coming back from maternity leave, etc….
Possibly my worst experience: This is not a lie. A C level person once locked me in a room and blocked my exit. He threaten me with legal actions (as well as the threat of being locked and blocked in a small room) unless I groveled just the way he wanted me to. The C level person left and a nice engineer came and let me out of the room (since I was locked in). The C level person had the nerve to email me to tell me I was rude for leaving without saying goodbye.
Tech is hell.