Becoming a certified business analyst professional is no easy task. There is a reason why, as of 2013, there were only about 3,000 CBAPs in the world – up from just over 1,300 in 2011. Or more accurately, there are multiple reasons.
CBAP certification training is your first step toward gaining entry to a very exclusive club. The difficulty of the CBAP certification exam is certainly one reason why the numbers remain so low. But looking at the other qualifications for certification, it’s clear that the International Institute of Business Analysis is making a concerted effort to keep just anyone who holds a business analysis role from gaining certification.
On one hand, this makes CBAP certification and training somewhat less visible, and job postings reflect this by requiring that certification relatively infrequently, compared to other qualifications like PMP training and certification.
But on the other hand, exclusivity makes it clear to those familiar with CBAP certification training that making it through the entire process really means something. To become a CBAP, a person must have five years of experience in a role related to business analysis, and that experience must comprise at least 900 hours and at least four out of six business analysis knowledge areas.
In addition, ongoing professional development and continued CBAP certification training are necessary both for obtaining the initial certification and keeping in subsequent years.
CBAP certification and training shows serious commitment to one’s own business analyst role, and also to the entire business analyst field. That is as much a reason for pursuing CBAP training as any. The certification is not a guarantee of a better job or higher income, but it is a guarantee of up-to-date knowledge of one’s business analyst career, and also of more specific roles like that of data analyst, systems analyst, quality research analyst, and market research analyst.
If you’re the sort of person who belongs in this exclusive professional club, you probably know it. You are probably someone who is eager for the challenge of passing a difficult CBAP certification exam. You are definitely someone who wants to stand out in the business analyst field, and for that field as a whole to stand out in the worlds of business and IT.
You may recognize yourself as this sort of person even if you don’t yet meet all of the qualifications for pursuing the CBAP. But you shouldn’t let that stop you from getting a lead on the process of preparing to obtain the certification as soon as you’ve gained the requisite experience. CBAP certification and training is the first step in joining an exclusive club. If you know that’s where you belong, why not take that step right now?