Dear Sajha friend,

I do not have an academic degree in IT or MIS. I did a general MBA few years back. For last 4 years I am working as a Business Analyst for different companies. I started modestly {wink} from a recruiting company in Texas. Now I am seeking a full time BA opportunity. For some reasons, I have applied plenty of full time jobs but not getting any calls, neither being short listed. Probably because I am limiting myself to my current location, which is a mid-sized city. Relocation is not an option for me. While looking for full time job, I got an offer from a different prime vendor company for $88,000 plus 3% 401K employer contribution, 10 days paid vacation and 9 days paid holidays. I was meaning to ask what 4 years' experience BAs are getting in terms of remuneration? How about Developers with similar experience? or a Data Analyst? Hope to get some insights from your point of view. Currently, I am getting $45 an hour on W2.

On a separate note - how could I be a good BA. I think with 4 years of experience I have not put enough effort to transform myself to be a better professional (such a shitty question, I know).

That offer does not sound like a best offer.
With 4 years of experience you should get something like 110k,20 days of vacation and 6% company match.
Right now 10 days looks like a lot of days for paid vacation especially coming in from recruiting companies but it won't be enough once you start working. I would say keep looking and find a job that would settle you down.

For a Business Analyst with 4 years of (real) experience, that is a very good offer for a full time - if not one of the best offers!

I suggest to go thru "Software Requirements" (this is a great reference for BAs) and follow different BA blogs (google them and you'll find a bunch!)

Good Luck.

PS: Software Requirements book, second edition,

Also, to have a good knowledge of how data base works, which is a huge plus for BAs, read some database books or take database classes like SQL/Oracle developer, BI etc.