Interview with Aleksandra Rowicka, Intelligent Automation Senior Business Analyst at Accenture
RPA is a software that mimics actions a human user would normally perform on his/her computer. RPA is usually used to automate the repetitive and rule-based process with structured data. Intelligent Automation is a combination of RPA and AI and helps with automation of complex processes that would normally require human judgment.
I work in Financial Services section of Accenture, so I mostly do projects for Banking and Insurance, but also work on other projects, including Resources or Products.
If starting on your own, I would recommend trying UiPath or Workfusion as these tools have a free 1-month trial version. Although, if you are starting at a company that has various RPA tools available, BluePrism is also one of the most commonly used RPA tools and quite easy to learn.
You can use RPA to suit your own needs, for example automating a process of registering for the University classes or searching for a perfect little black dress based on the selected criteria. I would recommend trying to automate tiny processes like mentioned above to see if this is something that feels right as a career path.
Business processes can be simple but some are very tricky and difficult to automate, they might also need some rework and transformations.
As a Business Analyst, you do not need any technical education, rather a specific set of skills like thinking out of the box, language skills, interpersonal skills as you would be working closely with Process Experts. As a Developer, any knowledge of programming languages would be an asset but is not necessary to kick-start your RPA career.
I hit a dead-end at my previous workplace and did not have possibilities for any promotion or expanding my career path. The only right decision was to quit and start looking for new opportunities. I was recruited directly, based on my skillset, rather than my education. I was lucky because I have a great manager who focused on developing my skills in the best way possible. Everything I have learned was through hard work but also through great mentoring. I would have never imagined that after doing an MA in Translations, I would end up working with the newest technologies and loving it.
Don’t be afraid to start, don’t look at your education as a blocker, it really does not matter. With the right determination, you can do anything really. Just focus on the goal, look for internships or entry positions like “Junior Analyst” or “Junior Developer”, such positions usually look for people that need to be trained but are passionate about starting their new career.
