Hidden Roles Series Part 2: The Silent Struggle with the IT Career Transition Gap – Why BA, QA, and SM Roles Are Overlooked
- Mar 17
- 4 min read
I’m Chris Conway, Founder, Lead Coach, and CEO at the IT Bootcamp. I also work on-site with clients as an Agile Coach & Consultant, because in IT, where things change fast, those who can do, can teach.
In this 6-part series, I’m exposing a problem that has kept critical IT roles in the shadows for too long—the lack of formal training and structured career paths for Business Analysts (BA), Quality Assurance (QA) Analysts, and Scrum Masters (SM).
Despite being the backbone of IT projects, these roles are often overlooked—buried under broader job categories or mistaken for secondary functions. They are essential to IT success, yet they remain hidden, undervalued, and missing from industry conversations.
Why does this happen? In this series, we’ll pull back the curtain on the Hidden Roles of IT, uncovering why education systems ignore them, how industry tracking erases them, and what can be done to finally bring them into the spotlight. The demand for these skills is rising—especially in an AI-driven world—but without structured pathways, countless professionals are left struggling to break in.
It’s time to change that. Let’s reveal the truth about these hidden roles—and maybe ruffle a few feathers along the way. In this part, we examine what I call the IT Career Transition Gap, and why these essential roles are often overlooked in industry tracking. Despite their importance, Business Analysts, QA Analysts, and Scrum Masters are frequently underrepresented in workforce reports, which leads to a lack of recognition and investment in their development. You can checkout Part 1 here.
One source of the IT Career Transition Gap: Scarce Recognition in Workforce Reports
Industry workforce statistics and surveys often overlook or lump together BA, QA, and SM roles, which makes their contributions less visible. For instance, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not have a distinct category for “Scrum Master” – such roles get counted under general Project Management Specialists, projected to grow 7% from 2023–2033 (BLS.gov)
QA analysts are combined with software developers in reporting; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook groups “Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers” together, projecting a 17% growth overall (BLS.gov)
This aggregation reflects how QAs are often seen as part of the development team rather than a separate profession.
Business analysts fare no better: they might be counted under broad groups like “Management Analysts” or “Computer Systems Analysts” rather than a clear “IT Business Analyst” category. According to one analysis, business analysts made up about 7.1% of IT staff – a number that had actually been declining in IT departments as BA roles shifted outside of IT (Avasant). The lack of distinct tracking can send the signal that these roles are an afterthought, even as organizations rely on them heavily in practice.
Should BA, QA, and SM be tracked as separate roles, or should they be grouped with other roles for industry reporting?
Separate roles.
Group roles.
It depends.
Not sure.
“Invisible” Roles in Agile Teams:
In agile methodologies (widely used in the U.S. and globally), there is an intentional de-emphasis of specialized titles on the development team. The Scrum framework, for example, “recognizes no sub-teams in the Development Team, regardless of particular domains that need to be addressed like testing or business analysis” (PM Stack Exchange) Everyone is simply part of a cross-functional team. While this fosters collaboration, it also means titles like QA or Business Analyst might not be formally assigned, potentially obscuring the work these specialists do.
A lack of understanding of the BA/QA/SM roles persists in many organizations – 14% of business analysis professionals say a “lack of understanding of the role” is a key barrier they face (IIBA).
Similarly, QA testers often battle the perception of being “just testers” rather than quality partners, and Scrum Masters can be mislabeled as overhead meeting facilitators. This undervaluing in perception and data can lead to underinvestment in training and career development for these roles.
Few Dedicated Career Paths:
Because these positions don’t have the same visibility, companies rarely establish formal career ladders for them. It’s widely believe that BA, QA, and SM are often not entry-level jobs, employers prefer candidates with prior experience in other domains. As one industry discussion bluntly put it, “BA is not an entry-level role… PM and Scrum Masters are not entry-level roles. You need experience.” (Reddit).
This creates a Catch-22 for young professionals interested in these careers, as they must first work elsewhere to gain experience. The profession’s own bodies are aware of this gap: the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) offers career roadmaps and certifications, and some countries (like the UK) have begun apprenticeship or graduate schemes for BAs (IIBA). On the whole, however, the U.S. and many other regions still lack robust educational frameworks, and these roles remain somewhat “hidden” in workforce analytics and talent development programs.
We challenge the idea that these are not entry-level roles, after all, every BA, QA, and SM starts somewhere. The industry may say experience is required, but that experience has to be built at some point, and structured learning combined with hands-on experience is the best way to do it. Our Alumni are proof of that.
We believe that our end-to-end IT Bootcamp for BA, QA, and SM (providing training, hands-on experience, and guidance not just for a year, but throughout your entire career) is the difference. We train, allow you to get that experience, and surround you with a community of BA/QA/SM. The gap in the industry is wide, but we’re filling it. To learn more about our program, check out the learn more button at the top of the page.
While the lack of visibility in workforce tracking is a major issue, understanding why professionals “fall into” BA, QA, and SM roles is equally important. Stay tuned for Part 3: Why Professionals “Fall Into” These Roles – Root Causes, where we’ll explore the hidden reasons behind career transitions and how the system leaves many professionals without clear entry paths.
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