- April 21, 2022
- Photograph: Unsplash
There seems to be an assumption among young professionals, such as myself, that the grind and toil of unexciting projects must be completed before you can get exposure to more interesting work. Specifically, for business analysts in technology, this can translate into tedious tasks and little or no responsibility. This is OK if “on the job” learning opportunities are part of the mix, and you are gaining the right type of experience. But working on long term projects with legacy technologies, where there is very little learning opportunities or role models to learn from, can often be the norm, and not the exception.
Pino del Nero, Business Analyst at BoatyardX
I personally found myself stuck amongst unexciting projects, until the opportunity to join BoatyardX presented itself. And I discovered something that I wish I had discovered earlier in my career. Jobs where creativity at all levels is encouraged do exist, and I have found that they are often in younger companies where everyone must collaborate to achieve common goals. There are tedious tasks in all companies, but tedious tasks where the purpose is understood, are much easier to undertake than when their purpose is not clear.
In a younger, more nimble, modest-sized company, as is BoatyardX, the mix of tedious and interesting tasks is a lot more balanced, and the reasoning behind tedious tasks is understood as part of a broader piece that is well communicated.
“In BoatyardX, the projects look and feel very different. We work with clients that are trying to build new products using the latest technologies.”
We get to design, develop, and launch new products regularly. The creative freedom that comes with partnering directly with innovative companies and start-ups to help them design and develop new products is exceptionally rewarding. It cannot be compared with working on big programmes for companies where change and innovation can be slow and difficult. Our clients work at a different pace, with a lot more flexibility and willingness to hear new ideas. They value enthusiasm and passion, and they will listen to ideas at all levels.
I joined BoatyardX 8 months ago, and in this time, I have gained immeasurable experience as a Business Analyst, but also much more. By expressing interest in different tasks (such as project management or data analytics in my case), I was quickly given the chance to undertake them. When there is interest, given the chance, we all tend to rise above expectations and truly show our worth. But not all companies offer us these chances, as roles tend to be much more specialised in bigger companies.
Furthermore, if you prove you can manage responsibility, tasks that may have only been reserved for very senior consultants and managers in classic hierarchical organisations, could land on your desk. And not only that, but everyone is also very keen to share knowledge, so cross-discipline learning is the norm. As a Business Analyst I learn from designers, developers, solution architects, project managers and DevOps engineers (to name a few) every single day.
There are plenty of very accomplished leaders both internally and on the client’s side. I find it very important to have people to look up to, and in BoatyardX there are leaders across all areas of the company that always have half an hour for me. In larger hierarchical organisations, it can be very difficult to get a similar level of exposure.
In conclusion, younger, more nimble, fast-growing tech companies like BoatyardX offer the opportunity for young professionals to take on higher levels of responsibility, whilst working on advanced technologies for exciting clients. And at least for me, that is more than I could have asked for.
Join BoatyardX
Now spread across 4 locations, Cluj and Iasi in Romania, Bogota, Colombia and Dublin, the BoatyardX team currently exceeds 100 people and continues to grow.
With customers in North and South America, Europe, Northern Africa and South-East Asia, the team spans the key working timezones. Expertise is enhanced across the teams through establishing technical competency groups led by experienced leaders, charged with ensuring best practice and efficient learning across all the organisation.