My biggest regret is that I did not seek out an internship when I was still studying. They are great in helping you decide what to do after graduating.

What do you do?

I am a Senior Business Analyst. In a nutshell, I assess business problems/opportunities, gather requirements from stakeholders, and create and implement (mostly automated) solutions.

A shortened example: A finance team is currently doing their work manually and they are not meeting month-end deadlines due to the volume of data they need to capture in their accounting ERP. As the Business Analyst/Business Systems Analyst, I would complete the following steps:

• Investigate the issue by interviewing members of the finance team to figure out their pain points.
• Gather requirements on what work they need automated and how data needs to be posted to the ERP.
• Investigate and vet possible systems/vendors that could provide an automated solution.
• Implement the solution after providing and receiving feedback from the finance team.

What pulled you towards your field?

Technology, and the never-ending change and learning that comes with it.

How have your degrees helped you in your career?

Studying Information Systems prepared me very well for my working journey. I was able to start as a developer and transition into an analyst quite easily as I studied both software development and analysis during my degree.

What advice would you give to current students?

Take on internships. My biggest regret is that I did not seek out an internship when I was still studying. Internships are great in helping you decide what to do after graduating.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

The most fulfilling part of my job is being part of a solution that resolves problems for the end user.

What are some of the challenges you have faced in your career?

Trying to figure out where my passion lies was a challenge for me. Studying Information Systems provided me with many different job opportunities, but it also made me unsure as to where I wanted to end up in my career (this is why internships are key!).

After many different roles within the tech industry, I decided to pursue analytics as it allowed me to be involved with projects from start to finish – implementing and overseeing.

How did the pandemic affect your career?

I was incredibly lucky to not have been affected by the pandemic at all. In the Tech industry, there are so many job opportunities that allow remote working (even before the pandemic), so this allowed me to still flourish in my career whilst working remotely.

How do you see your industry evolving in the near future, specifically in Africa?

Technology is ever evolving, ever changing. It’s probably one of the most exciting industries to be working in, since it’s a continuous journey of learning new things. The other great thing is that there will always be a need for people in tech.