3 Actionable Ways to Get into Product Management without a Technical Degree
Written by Joel Montano
Edited by Phyllis Njoroge
I wanted to make this “guide” concise and loaded with resources because frankly, I can barely read anything more than 500 words anymore. This will be directed to entry-level professionals who do not come from a computer science or engineering background and want to break into product management.
Some background on myself: my degree will be in civil engineering, which even though it has engineering in the name, dirt and rocks aren’t bits and bytes. I managed to get a PM internship at Microsoft the summer before my senior year, and I will be returning as a full-time PM in January! I’ve also done a couple of side projects (spoiler alert), which have been instrumental in my journey of getting into tech.
As for this post, I wanted to share this resource for 2 reasons:
- It is 100% possible for anyone to get into product management.
- The internet is full of noise. Paywalled, “drop your email in the comments,” “signup for my newsletter,” noise that is harmful and full of friction to many new grads trying to access this information to better themselves. Be cognizant of who is trying to be helpful vs who is just stroking their own ego!
I will be breaking down the 3 main things that I believe everyone can do to increase their chances of getting that entry level PM role: Owning your background, Learning to Code (sorry), and Learning in Public.
There is nuance and no “one-sized fits all” applicable for everyone, but I believe these 3 things can serve as the foundation for anyone making the jump!
Own Your Background
When people say your degree doesn’t matter, they 100% mean it. Unfortunately, we are stuck getting the piece of paper to signal “we are qualified.” Don’t let that discourage you! The value we receive from our degrees is rarely academic, it is about experiences and relationships. This is where anyone, regardless of background or field of study, can shine in being a PM.
PM is often considered the jack of all trades, master of none. Don’t try to pretend you are something that you aren’t because it could catch up to you quickly. Instead, use your unique background as an advantage when applying for entry-level roles by doing the following:
- Find a company or industry you are already familiar with. Some degrees are more broadly applicable than others but there is something for everyone.
- OWN the fact that you are familiar with that industry or business using your previous experiences and connections as proof.
- Depending on the person, go horizontal or vertical.
- A degree I consider “horizontal” would be marketing. Every company does marketing; when applying to PM, mention how your marketing background made you better at analytics, customer empathy, cross-functional work, etc.
- A degree I consider “vertical” would be biology. Bio majors have knowledge that most, if not all, CS majors lack. Those bio-tech and healthcare startups would love someone who understands the technology from a biological perspective instead of just a coding one!
And finally, please don’t let me limit you! Your chances may be better focusing on what you already know, but if there is something out there that interests you, please go apply for it! The next two steps will hopefully position you better for that situation!
Learn to Code
Ok, before I get cancelled, I want to explain. While coding isn’t technically a requirement, it only improves your chances. Most big tech companies ask relatively simple programming questions in interviews since many of us will be working alongside this technology. The analogy I like to use is working out. Sure, you don’t have to work out legs and sure, you can get fit without working out legs. But then your chicken legs will constantly be that “weak spot”, limiting you in the other workouts you are doing and your future in weightlifting.
While I encourage some knowledge of code, learning about the technology at a high level is excellent too! Understand what an API is/does, understand cloud infrastructure, which languages and frameworks are best for certain applications, object-oriented and functional programming logic, logic diagrams, etc. At the very least, learn the lingo so you understand what the engineers are talking about.
Personally, I taught myself web development and made a bunch of dumb little side projects the summer I decided to switch to product management. Did they land me the PM job? Not at all. What they did teach me was version control, git, how websites are hosted, what certain javascript functions do, what react was and basically, how to take a big “problem” (make a website) and break it down into smaller goals.
Relevant resources:
- https://technically.dev/
- https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/
- https://frontendmasters.com/
- https://egghead.io/
- https://dev.to/
- Udacity, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, MOOCS of your choice, are a simple Google search away!
Learn in Public
This one will be short because there is a link that explains it way better than I do. Basically, it boils down to having a public record of what you learned, what you are creating, and how you are developing. When applying to jobs, I now have a link to my newsletter that I submit. This newsletter has my thoughts on certain product developments, investing, business strategy, and much more! It is a library of some of my work so recruiters and hiring managers know my interests, how I think, and get to know more about me than what a resume shows!
If you’re going the writing route, I suggest following @david_perell on Twitter.
My writing (along with a key retweet from the homie Turner Novak & great guidance from Patrick Rivera) has allowed me to connect with some amazing people! (And I’m not even a good writer :D)
An important caveat: Do not start this to go viral; create content on topics that genuinely interest you! It doesn’t matter if 2 people see it or 2 million, it is simply there to keep track of your growth and as a reference. And frankly, your following might grow organically. Interest = Persistence = Quality = People will come to you. Here are some great ideas from the article I have linked below:
- Write blogs, tutorials, and cheatsheets.
- Speak at meetups and conferences.
- Ask and answer things on Stackoverflow or Reddit. Avoid the walled gardens like Slack and Discord, they’re not public.
- Make Youtube videos or Twitch streams.
- Start a newsletter.
- Draw cartoons (people loooove cartoons!).
Relevant resource:
https://www.swyx.io/writing/learn-in-public/
I hope I provided some insights! If you’d like to discuss more or simply connect, find me on LinkedIn or on Twitter @JoelMon97. Thanks!!
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