The analyst is to the programmer what designing is to programming. It is a design profession that involves translating the client's needs into instructions, i.e. drawing up the project specifications or the functional requirements of the software. The term analyst-programmer is used when the scope of the work extends to computer programming.
Most of the time, the job involves working with existing software rather than modeling new applications.
The profession of an analyst requires technical knowledge relating to software development, in particular object-oriented programming and software engineering. A background in UML modeling is usually necessary.
Finally, mastery of English is a must no matter where in the world the analyst works, as he/she often needs to gather written materials in very technical subjects, and may end up working with associates in other countries.
An analyst's salary may vary from $35k to $50k (£17k to £25k) a year.
Last update on Thursday October 16, 2008 02:43:17 PM.