I would say the basic definition of a BA is someone that bridges the gap between Business and IT/Systems. Obviously this is a very general definition, and like any job there are different types of BAs. Some example BA jobs that i have seen and done are:This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
- Project Delivery BA - Business wants a new tool/application/solution to be built. You would work under a PM and work with the vendor or internal delivery team to get it working. You could be involved with many aspects of the project including Business Case/Investment Proposal, Requirements Gathering (this is a key thing for all types of BAs), Design, Testing, Deployment, Training, etc
- Business Interface BA - Working under an IT Manager, you would handle demand for all new requests (big projects/small enhancements) and kick off all the work, but not necessarily see the project to the end like the Project BAs.
- Application BA / Workflow BA - You would be the expert/super user for a specific application that has a lot of business users. You would teach them how to use it, do ad hoc data requests/migrations, coordinate support with vendor/internal support teams, coordinate enhancement requests, etc
These are just a few examples but there are many other flavours of a BA.
The problem with a lot of BAs is that they come from IT support backgrounds but don't understand the business side right off the bat. So it takes them a while to get up to speed and really know the purpose of the application and how it ultimately adds business value. With someone like yourself that has the business background, you would have a leg up there. For example i think you mentioned your background is drilling, so you could be a BA for that portfolio of software... you would not have to learn the basics of drilling (terminology, lifecycle of an asset/well, etc) because you already know it, so instead would just need to learn the intricacies of the software and could start advising.
here's one that i saw on linkedin today:
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/403451016/