"BA level-up" Ep 01: The Mid-Level Trap: Why Your Experience Is Growing But Your Skills Are Stagnating?

Have you ever experienced this feeling? You’ve been in the profession for over 2 years, officially shed the "Junior" label, and can operate independently in projects. You write User Stories effortlessly, draw process diagrams perfectly, and your leader no longer needs to hold your hand. Yet, deep down, you feel like you are "running in place."

Your experience in years is increasing, but your analytical level and the value you bring to the business seem to be plateauing. You receive requests from clients and process them like a machine, out of habit, without truly understanding the nature of the system or the deeper business goals.

If you see yourself in this scenario, you have hit the typical "career bottleneck" of the Business Analyst profession. This article is a part of BA Level-up series. In this first ep, I will help you dissect why this happens and provide strategies to break through and "level up."

---------------

PART 1: 3 CAUSES THAT KEEP YOU "STUCK" AT AVERAGE

The BA profession has a unique characteristic: The barrier to entry is not too high, but reaching the pinnacle requires a complete shift in mindset.

1. The "Secretary BA" Trap and Robotic Reflexes

The biggest mistake BAs make after 2 years is becoming too confident in their "note-taking" abilities. When a client requests Feature X, your reflex is to immediately open Jira and write a User Story.

• The Bottleneck: You focus on the "What" instead of the "Why."

• The Consequence: You are building features based entirely on management's assumptions while completely ignoring the end-user. When a system launches looking beautiful but no one uses it, that is a failure of the analyst.

2. Confusing "Software Change" with "Business Change"

Many BAs with technical backgrounds often get too bogged down in solving software problems. You can fluently explain what a technology can do or its limitations, but you stumble when asked about business value.

• The Truth: Higher levels require you to focus on Business Change. You must understand if the client is changing a process to increase revenue, reduce costs, or optimize operations—not just to make the software look more modern.

• You can refer to more about Change Requests in this article: Change requirement

3. Lack of Pattern Recognition

If you have to start every new project from scratch like a blank sheet of paper, it means you haven't distilled Patterns.

• My Experience: Whether the business is in Logistics, Banking, or E-commerce, the core nature of operations follows certain patterns. If you don't recognize this, you will forever be trapped in handling petty details and unable to propose solutions at a High-level Solution perspective.

---------------

PART 2: STRATEGIES TO BREAK THE BOTTLENECK AND LEVEL UP

To avoid being replaced by AI and to achieve a career breakthrough, you need to undergo a "transformation" in both skills and mindset.

1. Upgrade Your "People" Skills and Empathy

AI is strong in logic and data, but AI cannot sit across the table to feel a user's confusion when they can't find a button.

• Action: Invest time in Shadowing actual users. Get down to the "trenches" and ask: "Do you really need this, and will you use it?" The ability to negotiate and mediate conflicts between departments is the core value of a BA.

2. Master Systems Thinking Tools

Example: Instead of looking at a messy, flat Backlog, start using User Story Mapping.

• Benefit: This technique helps you see the Big Picture and the user journey from start to finish. It helps you identify the true MVP (Minimum Viable Product) needed instead of building everything at once.

3. Strengthen Your Technical and Data Foundation

You don't need to be an expert coder, but you must understand "how the world moves from Needs to Software."

• SQL is mandatory: Don't stop at reading reports. You need to use SQL to verify data yourself and understand the database structure to validate business requirements.

• Infrastructure Knowledge: Understanding APIs, Communication protocols, and how systems interact in the Cloud will help you approach the role of a Solution Architect.

4. Learn Pre-sales and Scoping

A great BA doesn't wait for the project to start before writing User Stories. You must participate from the Bidding/Sales stage.

• Mission: Work with the Tech Lead to propose solutions, prepare POCs (Proof of Concept), and create Proposals to face the client right from the start. This is when you prove your strategic consulting capabilities.

---------------

PART 3: CAREER PATH - WHICH DOOR IS YOURS?

Don't assume the only path is to become a Project Manager (PM). A truly great BA shouldn't necessarily be a PM because the skill sets and goals are completely different. A PM focuses on execution (budget, time), while a BA focuses on solution value.

Here are 3 much more interesting paths for you:

1. Management Consultant: Working with C-Level executives to solve macro problems. Extremely high income but requires massive Domain Knowledge and 7-10 years of experience.

2. Product Management (PM/PO): If you love owning a product and being responsible for its strategy and market value.

3. BA Leadership: Becoming a BA Manager or BA Practice Lead – someone who builds frameworks, processes, and mentors the next generation.

---------------

CONCLUSION: APTITUDE IS THE FOUNDATION, PRACTICE IS THE KEY

You need to remember a hard-earned lesson: Building a system is not hard. Building the right thing that people actually use is hard.

Two years of experience is just the starting point. Don't let yourself fall into the trap of repetition. Always ask "Why?" at least 5 times for every requirement. Use AI as an assistant to free yourself from "manual labor," and dedicate your brain to more strategic tasks.

---------

Related Article in Series:

• Ep. 01: Why experience increases but level doesn't?