Didn’t enjoy coding. Sales or Product Manager?
Hey guys. I learned coding is not for me and didn’t enjoy it. I left Amazon a few months ago to do some soul searching and have been reading/Studying various career paths. Looking for suggestions whether I should pursue PM or Sales? Note: I did a lot of research before making this thread but blind is the best place for such info. —-PM—- Questions: 1. What type of skills are needed in this role? I’m good with people and soft skills but not very organized. I suppose this is something I’d need to learn? 2. How hard is career progression? I have light PM experience (helped PM launch 2 products at Amzn). I’d probably need to go small company PM then FAANG. —-Sales—- Questions: 1. How do you close if it’s a bad market segment/territory? 2. What happens if you don’t meet quota and get fired? Are you screwed for your next sales job? 3. How hard is career progression? Again good with people but no prior enterprise sales experience. I worked as a sales guy for Zales Jewelers when I was in college and it was fun. I’d probably need to start off as an SDR and Inside sales rep? I was looking at Sales Engineer but they seem to be the supporting guys and don’t make as much TC. Also if someone could critique my resume it would be lovely. Thank you Blind fam!
How old are you? You don't just GET an ISR role. You'd 100% start as an SDR/BDR somewhere if you want to get into a real high paying sales job one day. If you want a shitty paying job you could get into a sales job straight away bc they won't be competitive. Btw if you answer "why do you want to be in sales" with "I like people" I'd send you packing. That's the softest bullshit.
29. Why I want to be in sales. -Sales is very goal driven and meritocratic. I grew up a competitive athlete and always had my eye on the prize. The OTE goal has a direct, positive impact on both the company as well as the person hitting it. -Directly finding the right solution for the customer. I can’t think of any other role where you have such a direct impact on the customer. YOU are responsible for figuring out what the customers needs are (even if they dont know) and finding the solution. In sales you see a very direct and quantifiable impact on the customer. Not so much in Engineering. -Fast paced and dynamic. Every sales cycle is different. As an SDE, you more or less have very similar patterns in your work. However in sales, though there are archetypes of customers, you still have dynamic interactions and challenges for each sale.
Product manager is not just dealing with people. You need to have product instincts and skills. + aspire to learn how things work, and how to make them better.
Why is the PM career progression difficult?
Thanks. I’m not afraid of rejection but wanted to know how people in this field handle the lows (because everyone will have them). Sales does sound more infesting to me.
I would suggest looking into Partner Manager or Sales Engineer roles if you want to be in the Sales side.
When you say “PM,” are you sure you mean “product manager” or do you mean “program manager?” They are completely different roles. Program manager is the more likely next step, but if you don’t have good organizational skills, you are basically lacking the most important qualification. If you want to be a product manager, you need a marketing background. No matter what path you want to pursue, find an intermediate step that leverages your tech skills. Customer support is a good possibility. Whatever role it is, establish yourself as a good performer and then ask for stretch work that aligns with tour interests. It would have been ideal to make a change like this while you were still at Amazon. They are good about letting people try new things.
Hey OP you sounds similar to me; howd it work out for you? You in sales or PM now
PMs make much more than sales in general. But if you are good at dealing with people, sales may be good for you
Thanks! Isn’t PM about dealing with people too?
In some cases sales make more than eng. Corporate sales has crazy bonuses