Should I start from a System Analyst?

[alatus]

I am a fresh graduate from a local uni. I did a degree in comp sci. I think I would enjoy having a job as a system analyst. But I have heard from people that I should not start my career being a system analyst because most senior analysts need to have a few years of implementation experience and I won't be able to advance my career if I begin with a non-technical job. Also, most of the skills learnt in an entry level system analyst role are not transferable. They said I will not get enough technical experience from being a system analyst, and I should start as a software engineer. Even though I can code, I know I'm not cut out to be a software engineer. My intuition tells me so. I will eventually switch to an analyst role, perhaps a senior analyst after a few years in development.

Is it true that I should not start with a non-technical job? Should I really start out being a programmer before transiting to a system analyst? Would being a programmer first really help to advance my career as an analyst?

Originally Posted by alatus

I am a fresh graduate from a local uni. I did a degree in comp sci. I think I would enjoy having a job as a system analyst. But I have heard from people that I should not start my career being a system analyst because most senior analysts need to have a few years of implementation experience and I won't be able to advance my career if I begin with a non-technical job. Also, most of the skills learnt in an entry level system analyst role are not transferable. They said I will not get enough technical experience from being a system analyst, and I should start as a software engineer. Even though I can code, I know I'm not cut out to be a software engineer. My intuition tells me so. I will eventually switch to an analyst role, perhaps a senior analyst after a few years in development.

Is it true that I should not start with a non-technical job? Should I really start out being a programmer before transiting to a system analyst? Would being a programmer first really help to advance my career as an analyst?

Isn't system analyst a technical job?

[alatus]

Not really.

Originally Posted by alatus

I am a fresh graduate from a local uni. I did a degree in comp sci. I think I would enjoy having a job as a system analyst. But I have heard from people that I should not start my career being a system analyst because most senior analysts need to have a few years of implementation experience and I won't be able to advance my career if I begin with a non-technical job. Also, most of the skills learnt in an entry level system analyst role are not transferable. They said I will not get enough technical experience from being a system analyst, and I should start as a software engineer. Even though I can code, I know I'm not cut out to be a software engineer. My intuition tells me so. I will eventually switch to an analyst role, perhaps a senior analyst after a few years in development.

Is it true that I should not start with a non-technical job? Should I really start out being a programmer before transiting to a system analyst? Would being a programmer first really help to advance my career as an analyst?

i don't think as fresh grad you can afford to be choosy. apply whatever interests you, interview with whoever interviews you and then evaluate your options.

if you can even start in an unwanted role like system analyst in big brand name companies like jpmorgan or microsoft, you can go anywhere where you want to, later on.

[alatus]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

i don't think as fresh grad you can afford to be choosy. apply whatever interests you, interview with whoever interviews you and then evaluate your options.

if you can even start in an unwanted role like system analyst in big brand name companies like jpmorgan or microsoft, you can go anywhere where you want to, later on.

Did you mean system analyst is an unwanted role amongst employees? Any reason for the role to be this unpopular?

Originally Posted by alatus

Did you mean system analyst is an unwanted role amongst employees? Any reason for the role to be this unpopular?

the title doesnt mean much nowadays, u better take a closer look at the job description. SA can be viewed as simply an entry level role for IT fresh grads. depending on the company, u may be involved in programming, business analyst, tech support, proj mgt or any other IT duties.

whatever the case, just make sure u know the duties u will be doing before u sign any contract. and do check if the company has any career progression path for u or if they simply just need some fresh blood to do the saikang the seniors unwillingly to do. (ie 24/7 standby for tech support)

[alatus]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

the title doesnt mean much nowadays, u better take a closer look at the job description. SA can be viewed as simply an entry level role for IT fresh grads. depending on the company, u may be involved in programming, business analyst, tech support, proj mgt or any other IT duties.

whatever the case, just make sure u know the duties u will be doing before u sign any contract. and do check if the company has any career progression path for u or if they simply just need some fresh blood to do the saikang the seniors unwillingly to do. (ie 24/7 standby for tech support)

The SA I'm in does not require me to be involved in programming. This is the job description they have published http://bit.ly/1lOJuQH

Any advice? Is this the saikang type of SA?

Originally Posted by alatus

The SA I'm in does not require me to be involved in programming. This is the job description they have published http://bit.ly/1lOJuQH

Any advice? Is this the saikang type of SA?

if u dislike programming, then u dont really have a choice yeah? feedback from my friend at ihis is u'll def learn many things there as a fresh grad. but that's due to **** just being thrown at you. u can either see it as learning opportunities or just being underpaid for the amt of work you're doing(3.1k for my friend). certain skills/knowledge (ie proj mgt, exp in using enterprise softwares) are def transferable, and u can take up professional certifications at the same time.

fyi, for now, ihis is one of the more friendly companies hiring less-technically-inclined fresh grads.

[alatus]

How long has your friend been with the company? I wouldn't mind learning skills and knowledge such as proj mgt and enterprise software. In fact, I want to get my hands on those. For how long had your friend waited before he started doing the "more" interesting stuff? As for **** jobs, do you have some examples on this? I'm worried that the entire role is 90% **** jobs and only 10% useful stuff. lol

I think I can answer your question quite well. I have been in the industry for around 8 years and yes, I do agree that you need to have a very solid technical grounding to make good progress being a system analyst/solution architect.

I see many fresh grads take up softer roles in the beginning of their career without any solid foundation, and while the progressions might be faster at first, over time gaps in their knowledge show up and this is very apparent to managers and senior people.

Doing ground level technical work will allow you to size up and evaluate solutions, your vendors and your team will not be able to bluff/smoke you that easily. Your brain will gain the ability to evaluate whether something makes sense and make rationalized technical assessments of solutions and problems. This skills is very important to climb up in the IT world. I am an IT manager right now in a hiring position now (who hires system analysts and business analysts), and I can tell you that I won't seriously consider a candidate who has not gone through at least 3 years of very technical work (programming is essential)