BizOps vs Product Management
What are the biggest advantages/disadvantages for moving along either of these paths? I’m currently working in PM but considering a switch to BizOps. My reasoning behind switching to BizOps is because I plan to get an MBA and would be open to operations for not only tech companies, but film studios/production companies as well. From what I understand, PM is more of a slow grind and opportunities for advancement are slim and luck-based.
Stick in PM until b school. You'll be shocked at how many classmates are going in order to switch into PM. It has more flexible exit options, and b school is a chance to rebrand yourself into whatever path you want. Ops isn't as sexy of a path, so it's way easier to get those roles after school if you decide to switch (fewer applicants for as many or more roles)
Great point you make here. I definitely don’t want to be moving backwards; I’ve thought about doing PM -> B-School -> VC as well.
Honestly VC straight out of B school isn't generally a great option-- you hit a ceiling in growth super fast and it's pretty tough to really advance by starting on the associate track. The best way to do VC is to come back to it later when you can join on a real partner track (post-startup, post finance job, etc). If you really really are interested in the VC world, go for it, but just know it's very tough/competitive to get into out of bschool (basically only H/S/W unless you go with tiiiiny local VC shops) and then not a great career path for the long term.
Change after or during MBA not prior to. You may realize bizops is not all that it is cracked up to be. Conduct informational interviews and learn about who makes decisions, what's the daily grind etc. Often bizops titles sound better but compensation isn't.
Thanks for the insight! I appreciate this.