I have been working as a BA (consulting) for about 3 years now with Fortune 50 companies. One of the important skills of BA is being very analytical and for that you need a very good understaning of the system you are developing or will work on and the business practices. I do feel that you will learn in the job more than through text book, etc. But you should also be good at learning various softwares without much assistance from others. I really enjoy the job but would love a full time position now since i am tired of working as a consultant.