So I am currently a Product Marketing Manager at Facebook but am really interested in product management. I feel like on the pmm side I don't have much voice or influence in shaping the actual product. I think I have strong product sense and user understanding that would enable me to be a good PM. My big worry is I don't have a strong techical background. If I really want to be a PM, should I do a coding bootcamp or something? I feel like I don't need to code to be a good pm but just need better techical understanding in general to be able to effectively work with engineers and better understand techical challenges. Is there any sort of course for this specifically because I don't think it's actually the coding skills themselves that I am after if that makes sense.
There are some less technical PM jobs at Amazon and Microsoft that can provide an entry point - alternatively find projects with small dev teams and a swamped PM that you can work with and start helping them
Many EPMs at Apple don’t have or need coding / CS skills. The successful ones are good at communicating, organizing, managing up and interacting with design/ QA etc. to keep projects on track. A foundation in CS is a useful addition but not a pre-requisite given your background. But Udacity has some good courses.
I know of many product marketing managers that transitioned directly to a PM role, including some at Facebook
Facebook and Instagram are the two orgs which don’t need Tech skills for a PM. Apart from that Amazon has ton of non-tech PMs.
I've noticed a few of the newer Product Managers I've worked with have actually had data analytics or business analyst backgrounds, not tech.
Huh? PMMs at Facebook switch over to PM all the time. More specifically monetization PMMs do since they more strongly influence product. Consumer PMMs do not.
Your biggest challenge is fear and you are using code ability as an excuse. :)
Best msg in this thread
I work in Product Management and analytical skills are a must. Coding not do much but being technical helps a lot.
I’d recommend reading Swipe to Unlock rather than learning how to code through a bootcamp. It's a book that breaks down technical knowledge (algorithms used products we use everyday, how apis work, how machine learning is being used in the industry) in easy to understand cases. This book was invaluable for me when I interviewed for a PM role, and I know a lot of friends who applied from marketing/business development backgrounds who prepared with this book. I think it was written by a Google PM actually. And then check out Decode and Conquer if you if you want to prep for actual PM interview questions and learn the frameworks and such.
This book looks PERFECT for what I am looking for. Thank you soo much!!
MSCS or boot camp aren't bad ideas
Can I get a ms in cs with no previous coding background?
UChicago Masters Program in CS encourages people without a CS background to apply. Check it out.