By Jeanne du Plessis

As businesses have become increasingly dependent on computers to operate effectively, the need has arisen for professionals who can analyse business problems and requirements, and develop and implement solutions. This is where systems analysts such as Ayanda Nyathela come in. 

“I’ve always been curious about the role of computers in our lives. I took Computer Studies as a seventh subject at high school, and this helped me to understand the function of computers,” she explains. Currently, Ayanda is employed as a systems analyst at a consulting company.

Analysing problems, finding solutions

System analysts are responsible for analysing business requirements, designing appropriate systems and providing system capabilities required for the development of new systems or the modification of existing systems. They manage the full cycle of a system, including requirement analysis, documentation of technical specifications for computer application, implementing and testing the system and providing system support.

“For example, the project could be to implement a new system in a bank to improve the procedure for signing up new clients. My role would be to understand and analyse the requirements (in this case, capturing new clients’ data), design the system that would be used to capture this data, provide the technical specifications to the programmer, test the new system before implementation and provide system support once the system is implemented. A project can take anywhere from three months to two years, depending on its complexity,” Ayanda clarifies.

A career of variety

“Information technology has had a huge impact on most companies, businesses and the everyday citizen in a unique and phenomenal way; wherever you are, you’ll find an information technology system making your life easier in some way,” she says.

Because information technology is everywhere, a systems analyst will be exposed to a great

variety of industries during their career. According to Ayanda this is one of the most enjoyable and challenging aspects, as each project is different from the last. While this ensures that a systems analyst is never bored, it requires a great deal of flexibility. “Every problem you’re required to solve will be different from the last problem, so you’ll continually have to apply yourself to find appropriate solutions,” Ayanda explains.

This requires logical thinking along with problem-solving skills, and you’ll need a fair amount of technical knowledge to achieve this. Therefore you’ll need to be skilled in database systems such as SQL and Oracle, and you’ll have to be familiar with programming languages such as Microsoft’s Visual Basic and C#. Beyond technical knowledge, you’ll need good people skills as systems analysts work in teams, participate in workshops and work directly with clients.

Looking ahead

As the importance of information technology shows no sign of lessening, the career opportunities for systems analysts are excellent. You could easily advance from a junior to a senior systems analyst within a company, or you could provide your services to a company at an hourly rate. Once you’ve gained enough experience in system analysis, you could also become an IT project manager.

Ayanda believes that the youth should seriously begin thinking about their career once they reach high school. She states, “They should think about where they see themselves in the future, then choose the right subjects and work towards marks that will allow them to go to university.” Ayanda adds that high school students could learn a lot about prospective careers by attending career exhibitions or talking to professionals in the industry.

“There are abundant opportunities, so identify your strengths, have clearly defined goals and seek the necessary information about careers, universities and companies well in advance. This way you can be sure that you’re making good decisions for your future,” she concludes.