The pathway
How you actually get there, here
How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.
- 1
Junior Business Analyst / Product Analyst
2-3 yearsSkills to master
- Data analysis, requirements gathering, basic financial reporting, stakeholder communication, understanding of product lifecycle.
You're ready to move on when
- You're already proactively identifying areas for improvement in existing products or processes.
- You've shown initiative in proposing new features or solutions, even if they weren't implemented.
- You're comfortable with data and can draw basic conclusions from it.
- You're known for asking 'why' a lot and challenging assumptions.
- 2
Startup Operations / Growth Specialist
2-4 yearsSkills to master
- Experimentation (A/B testing), customer acquisition, data tracking, rapid prototyping (often with no-code tools), understanding of unit economics.
You're ready to move on when
- You've worked in a fast-paced environment where you had to 'get things done' with limited resources.
- You're comfortable with ambiguity and frequent changes in direction.
- You've directly contributed to testing new ideas or growth initiatives.
- You're used to talking to customers and gathering feedback directly.
- 3
Market Research Analyst
3-5 yearsSkills to master
- Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, survey design, data synthesis, market sizing, competitive analysis, report writing.
You're ready to move on when
- You're excellent at finding and interpreting market data.
- You can design and execute effective research projects.
- You're skilled at synthesising complex information into clear insights.
- You're eager to move beyond just reporting data to actively shaping new products.