Reddit mentions of Business Analytics: Data Analysis & Decision Making

ON IOP VS. OTHER CONSULTING ROLES

Have a look at ONETs job descriptions for Management Analysts and Market Research Analysts. Now compare it to the one for IO psychologists. You will get a clue of the large overlap and small differences in job descriptions.

Important differences include:

• projected job openings (800 for I/O psychologists of which nearly half are in academia, 151,400 for market research analysts and 208,500 for management analysts)
  
• typical qualification levels of incumbents (mostly bachelors for market analysts, mostly masters for management analysts and mostly PhDs for IOPs; and
  
• median salaries ($62K p/a for market research analysts, $77K for IOPs and $81K for management analysts)
  
  It is interesting to note that you can earn more with a masters as a management analyst than with a PhD as a IOP and not be far off what IOPs with PhDs earn as a marketing analyst with a bachelors.
  
  
  ON LANDING A JOB AS A CONSULTANT
  
  Now, you're an IO psychologists. I shouldn't need to tell you that to find work the most important things are to be smart, honest and well connected. For management analyst positions, masters degrees are plenty proof that you're smart enough. The big deal maker is going to be in the number of people who can hook you up with a job that trust you enough to hook you up.
  
  So number 1 tip would be to start making connections in hiring positions asap. Find out who you need to know and then ask the people you already know to introduce you to those people, or at least to people closer to them. Imagine highly connected nodes in graphs, 6 degrees of separation and all that cool discrete math stuff about social networks.
  
  
  In terms of technical skills you should develop, I highly recommend Wayne Winston's books on Business Analytics and Marketing Analytics. You'll see that you already know most of that stuff.
  
  If you look at the tools and tech section you'll notice that everyone except maybe Business Informatics graduates has a shit ton of IT stuff to learn after school to be effective in the work place. A couple of certificates in relevant ITs will likely give you a leg up in the competition for entry level jobs.
  
  I'm planning to add Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert: SQL 2016: Data Management and Analytics and SAS Certified Statistical Business Analyst to my CV before the end of the year.