Product Management is The New Buzz Word.
Software Product Management seems to be the next promising career.
If you are currently working in the software domain, whether as a software developer, business analyst, engineering manager etc. I believe you already are aware of the product managerial roles.
Mainly the overall design of the product, the end-to-end functionality and the feel of the product are planned by the product managers. They are responsible for the sole user experience a product/service will provide.
Other team members work in synchronisation with the product team for the final decision-making. The product team in the software engineering world needs to work with a bunch of technically sound individuals. So a lot needs to be learned to be a good product manager.
Product Manager
Let’s start with who exactly is the product manager. The term is self-explanatory the person who manages the product, but the role isn’t as simple as it sounds.
The product manager is responsible for making a business process for analysing, developing and launching a new service or a product. A plan to bring the entire product alive either partially or entirely.
The product management team gathers the appropriate requirement, which is organised into proper stories after thorough brainstorming sessions. There are various key stakeholders who are responsible for making the entire process happen.
A product manager needs to have a deep understanding of the market and its consumer. Based upon the entire analysis done by the product manager the product/services are developed.
Career Path of Becoming a Product Manager.
Below mention is the career path of a product manager. As experienced you get the higher level you reach, leaving space for new blooming candidates.
The more senior you get your task becomes somewhat similar to a program manager, since there would be many junior project managers working with you. They will most likely be picking individual projects of their own.
So as a senior person, you are supposed to help them with their hiccups and guide them with your wisdom.
- Associate Product Manager
- Product Manager
- Senior Product Manager
- Director of Product
- VP of Product
- Chief Product Officer
- Entrepreneurship
Program Manager Vs Project Manager
Most of us get confused between a program manager and a project manager. The key difference between a program manager and a project manager is that a program manager is part of a bigger program, which involves multiple projects.
The intercommunication of the project is handled by the program manager. They make sure that the program resources are managed efficiently amongst all of them.
On the other hand, the project manager is responsible for specific projects. All the information gathering, market fit, and development of a project are handled by the team of project managers.
The role of the program manager is ideally specific to one project.
Courses Available for becoming the product manager.
There are various courses available for becoming, both online as well as offline once. For the offline course, it bit different as it depends upon various factors like your current location, financial status, and current job.
So as a student, you need to research more about your nearest offline course for product management, but since we are here at digital media, I would like to discuss the online courses available which could be considered.
There are various popular websites like Coursera, product school, Udemy etc which provide you with courses spanning 4 to 6 months. Post completion of the course you will more likely will be having enough practical knowledge in the field that you will be able to crack a couple of interviews for your new careers.
Also, you will be given a professional certificate for the course you have attended. Before choosing any online course always research the platform and the trainer. A combination of both will give you the perfect course for your career.
Although these courses are crash courses, if you want to get a post-graduation degree in the same field choose a degree course from any reputed university.
Apply For a Product Management Job.
Applying for any job whatsoever the process remains the same, just the job description changes. There is a process if you want to search for a new job.
Network:
Connect with the right set of people whom, which is called networking. Networking can be done using various forms like attending events and connecting with peers on different social media websites like Linkedin etc.
Posting content on the website like Medium, and Hashnode inform other about the knowledge you gather. All these methods help you connect with a like-minded individual. This network will surely help you in many ways.
Resume:
Customise your resume, as it will help you land your job. Your resume is the only thing that will be presented to your interviewer and the hiring committee. You will be shortlisted based on the skill set you presented on your resume.
One friendly piece of advice never writes anything on your resume which isn’t true. You can highlight your skills and polish them, instead of writing false truths.
Applying:
Obviously, applying is the one and only way you will be landing the interview. As there are various people who are applying for the same job, to get your candidature noticed, try applying through the referral system built by various organisations.
In referral, an employee of the organisation refers to your profile by submitting your resume. This is something which will help you land the right job.
Search for the job on LinkedIn, Company's official careers page etc. Check for the job description, if that is what you are looking for, don’t think twice before applying.
Final Thoughts
A product manager career is promising, especially for those who like to innovate. A product manager's role is to ownership of the entire product.
Multiple teams are involved with them, for the final delivery of the product. Constant market research helps a product manager to grow better.
Having a good understanding of product management is a must for being a good manager. The certification course is good for getting you started and lending you your dream product management job. I hope you got a good idea of the product management careers.
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About The Author
Apoorv Tomar is a software developer and part of Mindroast. You can connect with him on Twitter, Linkedin, and Telegram. Subscribe to the newsletter for the latest curated content. Don’t hesitate to say ‘Hi’ on any platform, just stating a reference of where did you find my profile.
