2020-02-12
Companies are hiring product managers like never before, and being a product manager has never been more popular. I knew there was a growing corpus of material on what makes a good / bad product manager, but thought there was less on getting your first job as a product manager. After tweeting about it, I was thankfully proven incorrect [1].
So I decided to switch the focus of this article towards some of the obstacles you will face trying to make the switch into product management and how to overcome them. Based on my own (biased) experience, and those I have helped make the transition, what follows is a candid description of three common paths to becoming a product manager, their associated risks & benefits, and reasons each might be right for you.
Let us accept all the different paths as different rivers running toward the same ocean.
— Swami Satchidananda
The Associate Product Manager (APM) program was pioneered by Google when Marissa Mayer bet she could hire and train new grads to be product managers faster than they could hire experienced ones. She won. Nowadays many other companies have spun up their own [2].
This option is essentially reserved for new grads with technical backgrounds (e.g. computer science, human-computer interaction). Assuming you fit that criteria, this can be a great option if your love for how technology can solve human problems outweighs your desire to actually build the solution [3].
You meet the qualifications and want a low risk way to start your career in tech with a solid reputation and expansive follow-on opportunities.
If you prefer “figuring it out” on your own and always felt like school moved too slow (← quote from a friend).
Since product management is still a relatively nascent field, many product managers transition from other disciplines (either out of interest or necessity). Some of the most common examples include engineering, analytics, marketing, and support [4].
This is a tough path. Most companies do not make this transition easy. Surprisingly it is less about arduous processes and more about overcoming the stigma existing product managers will have against you. There are companies that genuinely cheer on these types of transitions, but sadly the majority do not [5]. The key is to start taking on product management responsibilities before you formally try to switch. That way you have clear examples (and people) to point to for evidence.
Also try to identify an internal champions who can coach you on being a product manager, going through the process, and telling your story. This can be multiple people, but you will need a single person, often the hiring manager, to push you through whatever internal mobility process the company has in place.
You are already succeeding in your current role and can identify internal champions to help you through the process.
You do not have champions and are afraid of tarnishing your existing reputation within the company. Or if the work you have done is compelling enough for another company.
Joining an early stage startup is one of the best ways to learn about building a product, company, and culture — regardless of your function. You need to be ready to do the work no one else wants to, to push boundaries, and to seize opportunities. When searching for a startup to join, use the following criteria in the order listed:
People come first because they will ultimately shape your experience and be your support network when you move on. Identify founders / team members you respect and would want to learn from. Analyze how they view the world (e.g. follow them on Twitter, watch interviews on YouTube) and see who you gravitate towards.
Growth means opportunity. The faster the company is growing, the more opportunities there are to raise your hand. This doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to get those opportunities, but it does mean you will have more at-bat’s and the company will be more willing to give you a shot due to the pain.
Industry is the gravy on top. If you can find a startup that meets all three criteria, good for you. This often isn’t the case and should not stop you from a good learning opportunity. The skills you develop in an early stage company are highly transferrable and domain expertise is rarely the deciding factor in a hiring decision. Optimize for people.
Startups are simultaneously the last resort and my personal recommendation [6]. Startups are the most fertile learning environment. Startups reward growth mindsets and tenacious work ethic. Startups maximize exposure and opportunity. But startups are not for everyone.
So why do I recommend this path?
You get to choose your own adventure. You get to tell your own story. The upper bound on what is possible is not fixed. With that sort of upside potential comes no safety net. You can grind for years and come out the other end with no title to show for it. That’s okay. What matters are the skills you acquired, the behaviors you developed, the people who will vouch for you, and the stories you can tell.
The most important parts of interviewing to be a product manager are how you think and how you communicate. If you can develop frameworks from your startup experience and tell compelling narratives, you are 90% of the way there.
You thrive in chaos, want more responsibility, are comfortable with uncertainty, and are willing to work harder than is fair. Or if you have no other choice.
You prefer structured environments or need stability in your life (e.g. support family, pay off loan).
There are many paths to becoming a product manager, and none is objectively better than another. But I do believe that every product manager should do a different job before becoming a product manager. It gives you empathy for another role, a unique perspective, and tactical skills that will blossom in ways you will continued to be surprised by for years to come.
If you face resistance, keep pushing. We don’t like to talk about it, but there is an odd “club mentality” in the product management world. It feels hard to get in. And once you make it in you feel good, but also protective about others joining. This is silly. We should be doing everything we can to help the next great product managers succeed, regardless of their background. I hope this article does.
[1] I strongly recommend reading all of these articles. They each offer something valuable.
Lenny Rachitsky has the most thorough article on how to become a product manager and has excellent section that helps determine whether product management is even right for you.
Sachin Rekhi lays out five great paths and some great nuggets on demographics that will likely succeed in each.
Adam Waxman offers excellent advice on specific tactics to break into product management.
[2] Suhas Motwani has a great collection of APM programs.
[3] This does not mean that engineers do not care about solving human problems. They do, deeply. But the key is where your personal curiosity and capabilities meet.
[4] Other disciplines include Sales, Business Development, Design, any! The ones originally mentioned are simply the most common.
[5] If a company says they do, ask them how many employees have successfully made the transition and how many have tried to get a ratio. I bet it’s less than 50%.
[6] Joining a startup and hustling was the path I took, so there is a strong presence of survivorship bias here. I know excellent (better) product managers who took the other paths. I simply believe startups are a compelling option for the majority of folks looking to break into the field who don’t have the “right” backgrounds.