I graduated with a sociology degree and have been in sales for a few years, and recently at Yelp. But I want to transition into becoming a pm, as it seemed like something I'm interested in doing. What are the next set of steps that I should take? Should I take a course at general assembly or productschool? I don't see myself going back to college to start over. What's the reality of getting a job as a PM for a sociology major? Any help would be appreciated.
Evaluate products or features and have a list of ideas of how you can improve them and what the customer benefits are going to be. Also have that list prioritized and try to have a cost estimate if possible. Start with sharing those ideas with your current team and company and go to interviews with those ideas.
Getting a PMP certificate can help getting an interview, but I heard the course itself is not really useful.
PMP just mostly teaches project management skills which are just a subset of the skills considered to be a good pm. PMP teachings are very hard to apply as taught in a true dynamic working environment but it's good for knowing what techniques you could consider applying from a project management point of view.
For me, it was a 6-year journey to get into a PM career vertical. But I'm there now, so I can tell you what worked for me. First - read books and listen to podcasts. If you need recommendations, put out another post - I'm sure it'll get great engagement. But build up your base knowledge of what makes good product (dev, design, biz). You'll need this to become a "thought-leader" in your current role. Then, look for opportunities to apply that knowledge in your current role. Go above and beyond. Ask to help your PM or product owner. Learn to think like them and take on additional tasks that you can then add to your resume as having that experience. This will help strengthen your resume when you apply for positions. And don't be afraid of taking another position that isn't a PM position, but will boost your resume for a future application. I strategically took 4 positions over a span of 6 years that kept moving me closer to PM work, and I looked for opportunities to apply my PM knowledge in each. Finally, view this work as a "season." It helps give you the stamina to keep moving toward a goal that might take a few years to achieve. Hope this helps.
Did you go through this with / without a bachelors? Were you also switching careers? I'm not even sure what entry level PM position is called
I had a bachelor's, but part of my journey was getting my MBA. But I don't think that's necessary. Recruiters want to see what you're capable of and what you've done in your last/current roles that will translate to impact in the role you're applying for. There's a lot of free info out there you can learn from instead of paying for a degree. And PMs usually come from engineering, design, or business backgrounds so you can start a career in one of those and move up, or you can aim for a Product Owner role. That's a step below a PM usually
While more than half of individuals who call themselves product managers in any capacity have a bachelor’s degree or higher, continued learning is the name of the game for upward mobility in this competitive field. Here are some educational resources that technical product managers use to keep their skills sharp and stay ahead of emerging trends in the industry: Industry podcasts Blogs Books Meetups and networking groups Courses and training You can find a lot more info on the subject here: https://goo.gl/HZxdaf
Thank you all for your insight!
Just apply for the job... is usually the first step to get any job
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You can try going to enterprise-side PMs
What is that exactly?