Thinking about a career in product management? Already a product manager and looking to move up to the next level? You\u2019ve come to the right place, friend. Here, we\u2019ll go over the path a product management career may take as well as some entries onto the path itself.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re starting very fresh, let\u2019s first go over what product management is. Atlassian<\/a> defines product management as \u201can organizational function that guides every step of a product\u2019s lifecycle: from development, to positioning and pricing, by focusing on the product and its customers first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n I often refer to product managers as the glue that holds the organization together. Product managers are responsible for interfacing with almost all areas of an organization, not just with the technology teams. It\u2019s for this reason that it\u2019s possible to enter into a product manager career from a variety of different roles, especially those that are tech-adjacent.<\/p>\n Starting a product manager career can happen at any point in your journey, regardless of your background. Typically, schools don\u2019t have a product management major\/minor, so it\u2019s not necessarily something one can earn a degree in. There are trade schools and programs to earn certifications, and while these aren\u2019t usually required to kick off a product management career, they can prove valuable for anyone entering the product management role as a career change.<\/p>\n The core skills you\u2019ll need to start a career in product management are:<\/p>\n Again, you can begin a product management career from various backgrounds but most often you\u2019ll be coming from an adjacent role in tech. The most common pathways into product management are from customer success, sales, quality assurance, and engineering. When you\u2019re looking to become a product manager from these roles, a great option is to find an internal opportunity. Already having the business knowledge and context of the strategy will give you a pretty big advantage against other candidates that don\u2019t. If you\u2019re unsure about the role, ask to shadow someone for a few hours or have lunch with another product manager on the team.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not coming from an adjacent role and you\u2019re entering into the tech industry like a baby chick on Easter, you\u2019ll want to do some pre-work before you start scouring the product management job boards. What you\u2019ll want to do first is to learn about the different levels and areas of a product manager career and what the responsibilities are for each one.<\/p>\n There are essentially 4 levels in a career path in product management. These aren\u2019t black and white and can vary from company to company, but even so this is the typical ladder you\u2019ll find if you choose a career in product management.<\/p>\n Experience: 0-3 years<\/em><\/p>\n Key Responsibilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n Associate product managers or product owners is the role that most closely works with the development team. This role\u2019s primary focus is execution of a strategy\/vision and translating the \u2018what\u2019 into a \u2018how.\u2019 If you\u2019re just entering into the product manager career path, you\u2019ll want to put a focus on learning skills like user story writing, collaboration with dev teams, and prioritization.<\/p>\n Experience: 3-7 years<\/em><\/p>\n Key Responsibilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n Senior product managers and product managers tend to overlap the most when it comes to a product management team. This role interfaces with the customer more than the other roles up and down the product management path. As a product manager or senior product manager, your typical day will likely be spent strategizing, talking with customers, and evaluating opportunities. You\u2019ll manage down to an associate product manager\/owner to collaborate on execution of the roadmap, and you\u2019ll manage up to product leadership to collaborate on the roadmap strategy.<\/p>\n Experience: 7-10 years<\/em><\/p>\n Key Responsibilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n Depending on the size or structure of the product team at a given company, product leadership roles can actually manifest in product manager or senior product manager roles. No matter the level or title, the responsibilities will transcend. This part of the product manager career path is where people management comes into play. Other skills you\u2019ll need for this level will be more focused on visualizing a long-term roadmap and managing more than a single product (or area of a product).<\/p>\n Experience: 10+ years<\/em><\/p>\n Key Responsibilities:<\/strong><\/p>\n The head of a product department will be more focused on a company strategy rather than an individual product strategy. Don\u2019t get me wrong \u2013 you\u2019ll still need the product expertise so that you can lead the vision and propel the product forward. You\u2019ll be a critical part of the executive leadership team especially during strategic discussions and company direction.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a one size fits all approach to speeding up product management careers because there can be many variables at play: company size, culture, industry, etc. The product management career path doesn\u2019t have to be straight and narrow, either. Make your own way or choose the road less traveled. The constant in the following tips is to stay curious and seek out information. If you are perpetually learning you are improving each day and, as you learn and improve, your vision of the road ahead will become ever clearer.<\/p>\n The best way, in my opinion, to learn more about product management is to hang with product managers. Pre-COVID, I would say grab a drink or some coffee but\u2026 well, you know the story. For now, network through communities like Product Collective<\/a>.<\/p>\n The second best way to learn is to read (or listen, if you\u2019re like me) books and blogs\/articles. There are quite a few from product management leaders in the industry. Whether you\u2019re looking to expand your knowledge on a specific skill or research best practices overall, you have a plethora to choose from.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a product management beginner, I highly recommend starting with Inspired by Marty Cagan. Cagan does a phenomenal job outlining the product management fundamentals.<\/p>\n Podcasts are a great way to stay current on industry trends. Look for podcasts specific to product management, like rocketship.fm<\/a>, or find topics related to your product\/market. Subscribe so that you\u2019re notified of new episodes.<\/p>\n Whether your preference is LinkedIn or Twitter, following product management leaders is another way to stay up-to-date. Many experts will post tidbits or advice or best practices that you can take with you on your product management career climb. Having product management content in your social feeds allows you to absorb nuggets of information throughout your day and you\u2019ll be learning more product management without even realizing it.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve learned buckets of information from attending conferences. Not only will you hear great talks from other product managers, but you\u2019ll also be able to network (even if you attend virtually). You\u2019ll likely walk away with lots of notes to take back to your day-to-day product management life. The best product conference? Industry<\/a>, of course!<\/p>\n No matter what stage of your product management career you\u2019re in, asking for feedback is invaluable. From your peers, your manager, or your direct reports, feedback will let you know how others perceive you and where you have room to improve. Asking for it is not enough, though. Make sure you are taking action against the feedback provided.<\/p>\n If a traditional product management career path doesn\u2019t appeal to you, there are other roles in product management that might be more your cup of tea.<\/p>\n A technical product manager career path is quite similar to a traditional product manager but with more of a technical focus (obvious, right?). Most technical product managers evolve out of a developer or QA role because they usually need to know a bit of code. Technical product managers usually lead back-end systems or products.<\/p>\n Pendo<\/a> defines Product Ops as an operational function that optimizes the intersection of product, engineering, and customer success. As a product operations manager, you\u2019ll focus on communication and alignment of launch plans, research tools for the teams\u2019 needs, support production, and analyze everything within your purview. This is a rising role in the product management field, and one that companies have found critical to success.<\/p>\n There are several roles in the product management world and, lucky for all of us, the product manager career path will never be straight and narrow. Being a great product manager requires having empathy, being perpetually curious, and learning to communicate with all different audiences. The great news? You don\u2019t need to go to school for any of that! These are the skills you can practice throughout each and every day. When you are ready to begin your interview process, start with this list<\/a> of 101+ Product Manager Interview Questions to prepare.<\/p>\nHow to start a successful product manager career<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Product manager career path levels<\/span><\/h3>\n
Associate Product Manager, Product Owner<\/h3>\n
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Product Manager, Senior Product Manager<\/h3>\n
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Lead Product Manager, Principal Product Manager, Director of Product Management<\/h3>\n
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VP of Product, Chief Product Officer<\/h3>\n
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6 tips to speed up your product manager career progression<\/span><\/h3>\n
Network and Find a Mentor<\/h3>\n
Books and Blogs<\/h3>\n
Podcasts<\/h3>\n
Follow Product Leaders<\/h3>\n
Attend Conferences<\/h3>\n
Ask for Feedback<\/h3>\n
Other product management career options and roles<\/span><\/h3>\n
Technical Product Manager<\/h3>\n
Product Operations (Product Ops Manager)<\/h3>\n
Key takeaways about PM career path<\/span><\/h3>\n