How Did Ajay Build His Career as a Business Analyst

Ajay has over 10 years of professional experience, with a commerce background and an MBA from Christ University in Bangalore. He began his career mainly in finance and risk-related roles before developing an interest in technology and data. With support from DataMites, he built technical skills and gradually moved closer to the data side of his work. Today, he works as a Business Data Analyst at Barclays within risk technology as part of the data engineering team.

Ajay’s Journey from Finance and Risk to Business Data Analyst

Ajay’s career journey reflects how combining domain knowledge with technical skills can help professionals expand their career path. Coming from a non-programming background, he initially found the technical learning curve challenging. However, he continued learning Python, SQL, Excel, Tableau, SAS, and other technologies while working.

His learning journey also included a credit-risk project at DataMites, which helped him connect his technical learning with his finance and risk experience. Over time, this combination gave him a better understanding of how different teams work together and how technology supports business functions.

1. Who is Ajay, and what is your educational background?

Ajay has a little over 10 years of professional experience. He is a commerce graduate and later completed his MBA from Christ University in Bangalore. During the early part of his career, he mainly worked in finance and risk-related roles.

As technology became increasingly important in the industry, he became interested in learning technical skills. This interest eventually led him to learn several technology and data-related skills.

2. Why did you decide to learn technology and data-related skills?

Ajay explained that technology skills had become important in the industry. With a background in finance and risk, he wanted to build technical knowledge alongside his existing experience.

This motivated him to explore IT courses in Delhi and develop practical technology and data-related skills, helping him understand both business and technical aspects.

3. What is your current role?

Ajay currently works as a Business Data Analyst at Barclays. He works within risk technology as part of the data engineering team.

His current role allows him to use his finance and risk-related experience together with his technical skills. This combination also helps him understand how different teams operate within the bank.

4. What is the difference between a Business Analyst and a Business Data Analyst?

According to Ajay, a Business Analyst mainly focuses on functional and domain knowledge, gathering requirements from business stakeholders and working with developers.

A Business Data Analyst works more closely with data and technical tools, helping bridge the gap between business stakeholders and technical teams.

5. What technical skills do you use as a Business Data Analyst?

Ajay mentioned Excel, Tableau, and SQL as important tools in his role. He described SQL as a bare-minimum skill for his work.

He also uses Python and SAS for data analysis. In his current team, he works with AWS and dbt as well. He explained that dbt, or Data Build Tool, is used where a lot of the ETL work happens. Together, these tools form important data analyst Skills for his role.

6. How was your learning journey coming from a non-technical background?

Ajay described the learning curve as steep because he came from a non-technical background. DataMites supported him in building the basic technical skills he needed.

He preferred offline learning and found it helpful for developing a foundation in Python, SQL, and working with big data.

7. How did the credit-risk project help you?

Ajay worked on a credit-risk project at DataMites that connected with his existing finance and risk experience.

The project helped him understand the technology side of credit risk, big data handling, and how technical learning could complement his professional background.

8. How did you learn Python without a programming background?

Ajay found learning Python challenging because he had no previous programming experience. He already had some exposure to SQL, but Python was completely new.

It took him around one to two months to learn fundamentals such as data types, data structures, and handling data using Pandas.

9. How did AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot help you learn?

Ajay used AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot when he faced challenges with Python, but focused on understanding the logic rather than simply copying the output.

He reviewed the code line by line to understand how it worked and affected the data, using AI as a learning aid while developing his own skills.

10. How did you manage learning while working?

Ajay managed his studies alongside his professional schedule by joining the weekend batch and using mornings and evenings for revision and practice.

He focused on individual topics for deeper understanding and avoided long gaps between learning sessions to stay connected with the concepts.

11. How important is consistency when learning technical skills?

Ajay highlighted the importance of staying connected with topics, especially for those learning technical skills from a non-technical background.

He explained that study time may vary daily, but avoiding long gaps and practising regularly makes it easier to understand and build new concepts.

12. What skills do you look for when interviewing candidates?

As a Business Analyst, Ajay evaluates candidates based on domain knowledge, technical skills, and soft skills. These Business Analyst Skills help demonstrate their overall understanding.

He also looks at SQL and Python knowledge, along with how well candidates explain their projects and demonstrate practical understanding of the role.

13. What is the biggest lesson from your learning journey?

Ajay’s journey highlights the value of continuous learning and building technical skills alongside existing finance and risk experience.

He also emphasises consistency, practical learning, and logical thinking while continuing to develop his skills as technology changes.

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Key Findings from Ajay’s Career Journey

Ajay’s inspiring journey is one of the many DataMites Success Stories, demonstrating how combining domain experience, practical learning, and consistent skill development can help professionals build a career in Business Data Analytics.

• Career transitions are possible: Ajay moved from finance- and risk-related roles toward a Business Data Analyst career.
• Domain expertise can be valuable: His finance and risk background complements his technical knowledge.
• Technical skills matter: SQL, Excel, Tableau, Python, and SAS are among the skills he highlighted.
• AI can support learning: ChatGPT and Copilot helped him understand and troubleshoot Python-related challenges.
• Practical projects provide exposure: His credit-risk project helped connect technical learning with his existing domain knowledge.
• Interview preparation requires multiple skills: Candidates need to demonstrate technical knowledge, domain understanding, and communication abilities.
• SQL fundamentals are important: Understanding joins, unions, and query logic can support analytics-oriented roles.
• Soft skills matter: Stakeholder management, Agile knowledge, communication, and project management are relevant to Business Analyst roles.
• Combining skills creates broader understanding: Ajay’s experience shows how domain knowledge and technology skills can work together in a Business Data Analyst career. 

Ajay’s journey from finance and risk to Business Data Analysis shows that professional growth can take different paths, highlighting continuous learning, practical application, consistency, problem-solving, and communication.

Refer to these Articles:

• Wasim Career Transition from BCom to Data Analytics
• Ayushi’s Inspiring Journey from Fresher to Data Analyst
• From Graduate to Data Analyst: Niteesh’s Career Journey

DataMites  is a globally recognized data science and analytics training provider that helps aspiring professionals build industry-relevant skills through practical, career-focused learning. DataMites data analyst course in Delhi is designed to provide structured learning, practical exposure, and career preparation for aspiring data professionals.

Accredited by IABAC and NASSCOM FutureSkills, DataMites offers online and offline learning modes, flexible schedules, mock interviews, placement assistance, and lifetime access to learning resources. DataMites has also received the Best Skill Development EdTech award from Businessworld for its contribution to skill development and career-focused learning. With numerous offline centres across India, DataMites Ahmedabad offers learners opportunities to develop practical and career-focused skills. DataMites also operates offline training centres in major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, and several others.