Systems analysis

If problem solving is something you are great at, and you have a natural affinity with computers, then systems analysis might be the career for you. Systems analysts are brought in by companies to improve their IT systems by making them more efficient.

Work activities

As a systems analyst, your job would be to find solutions to IT-related problems, often on a company-wide scale. You would look at  how work flows through a system and search for ways of making this flow more efficient.

It would be up to you to design new IT solutions, working closely with your employer or client.

You would draw up  feasibility reports, covering issues such as budgetary demands, technical specifics and the nature of your client’s business and their own unique needs.

Once your proposals have been approved, your work would  continue as your solutions are implemented, reacting to feedback and any problems that may arise in the process.

You could also find yourself involved in the training for people using the system you have worked on and you might also help write instruction manuals.

Entry requirements

The most common route in is with a degree or HND in computer science or systems analysis.

Graduates from other subjects can also take a conversion course to gain a diploma or MSc in systems analysis.

Employers will also expect at least two years’ programming experience.

A career in software development or IT can lead to a position in systems analysis and this is the best way to enter the field if you do not have a degree or diploma.

Systems analysis

Salary

As a starting salary you might expect to earn between £20,000 and £26,000. Experienced system analysts can earn £50,000 and much more in industries such as the financial sector.

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