Being in product management leads to exciting opportunities and even executive positions. It's a career path that is welcoming to career changers. Experience is valued and needed.
Building a product is hard and systematic skills in the space are needed. Product managers shape a product and are often the ones taking charge of changes and tracking success metrics.
That core position has its upsides: Great product managers experience immense career growth and can lead to director, VP and even C-level positions quite quickly.
For career changers, the job is also attractive. It's a leadership position that pays well above 6 figures on average and values experience from any kind of professional background.
A well-written and thorough book can be an amazing path to build deeper understanding and also act as a handbook as you discover the internet's vast resources.
These are our and our experts top picks to get started building career-relevant skills.
OKRs are well-established in data-driven organizations. This book by John Doerr talks about what OKRs to use and how to implement them right to focus on the right things.
What's better to build your understanding of product management than to build your very own product? This book walks you through how venture studios like Google Venture launch products fast and successfully.
Shape Up is coming out of the product factory Basecamp. Having been in business for over a decade, both as agency and product company, they have developed a unique and well-tested approach to product management.
As Product Manager, user engagement is always at the top of your mind. The best way to have engaged users is to create habit-forming products. Nir Eyal walks us through the inner workings of almost addicting social apps and boils down how you can use the same mechanisms for good.
People love being empowered and your product's users are no exception to that. Find research and methods about how to make your users powerful and successful when using your product.
Released in 2008, the Art of Product Management has truly stood the test of time and is among the top-selling management books, even today! A must-have in the library of any fresh product manager.
These days, courses are no longer a sequence of videos. They are usually accompanied by projects and a learning community, keeping you accountable and on the path.
Our experts recommend these courses, from free selections to paid programs.
Doing things by the book is always a good foundation to start from. The University of Virgina has a top-rated product management course on Coursera – a great starting point to learn the basics and ease your way into Product Management.
For quite a few years now, Product School is the go-to place for folks who want to change their careers into Product Management in the form of a more traditional school and course approach. If you are serious about the change, Product School could be a great chance!
Online, One Week PM is handled as one of the leading online courses for new product managers in the otherwise surprisingly sparse environment. With over 2,000 students worldwide, it also comes with a ton of social proof from people that took the course and used it to claim their dream career as PM.
Online or not, having Cornell on your resumé is never a bad sign. Their online branch is now offering a product management certification. Their small group course is three months long, with an estimated effort of around five hours per week.
Data and product management is inching closer and closer together every single day. The Essec Business School has seen that trend and has turned it into a course for technical product managers.
Please note: This specialization is rather technical and requires some stats and programming knowledge.
There is no better source of accountability and motivation than having a personal mentor. What used to be impossible to find is now just two clicks away! All mentors are vetted & hands-on!
Key articles and posts of industry experts can help you get a better picture of what you are getting into.
In our opinion, these are some must-reads you really shouldn't miss.
Jason Fried's Basecamp is one of the most successful independent product business of the last 20 years and when there's something to read, one should better look closely.
It's easy to think that as a product manager you need to know what to do from day one, but Jason argues differently here: It is OK to take it all one step at a time, before trying to become the greatest.
There's no such thing as a typical product manager. Most great product managers come from their own background in design, engineering or marketing to claim the position.
So, if there was an end-to-end PM school, what would they need to teach? Customer interviews, feature roadmapping, resource allocation. All the things you should have at least a look at are in here.
It's hard to stand out in the PM job market. Product management is an attractive career and there aren't all that many positions out there. So, it's all about improving your odds.
Alex shows us seven ways how to improve our profile and level up our skills to claim that dream job of ours.
In the end, advancing your career is all about getting the right opportunities at the right time and a good portion of luck.
These are some interesting things going on in the Product Management space and you probably don't want to miss them.
Building your very own product puts you on the radar of any product-focused organization hiring managers, designers and engineers. Going from nothing to something requires and builds top-notch prioritization skills, the ability to stay scrappy and shows that you can get things done.
To get your foot in the door and make a difference, early-stage startups and businesses are exactly the way to go.
While the risk may be higher than at FAANG and other established businesses, you can also quickly build a lot more ownership and extend your portfolio in these companies.
Learn more about Product Management with our expert advice.
What does the first Product Manager do in an early stage startup? In this article I'll explain how to organize the first months of work if you join a startup where the product department doesn't yet exist and you are the first Product Manager.
Master your product manager cover letter with our guide. Learn to impress potential employers at first glance and secure your dream position.
A combined passion for dogs and digital product management creates a successful small business that fulfills a need in the market while embracing creativity, giving back, and delivering exceptional customer experiences.
Understanding how to work as a product manager or early stage founder in a startup can feel like a complex task. This article shares some useful ways to make good decisions quickly and plan effectively in this fast-paced environment.
In this article discusses the five essential skills that every successful product manager should have. It highlights the importance of strategic thinking, customer empathy, communication, leadership, and technical expertise in the role of a product manager.
During my career I have spent time working closely with Service Designers on a variety of projects and products, and I believe there are five key lessons from the Service Designer discipline that can help enhance Product Management.
Product management is a competitive career path, but one that hugely pays off. Are you ready to make the jump? Our mentors would be more than happy to help.
