65k as an Associate PM
Currently making 65k as an Associate Product Manager. Moved into Product after spending 3 years in sales at the same company, taking a big pay cut in the process because I wanted to get into Product Management. Have now been doing this role for almost a year and its a way better fit for me than sales, but its unclear what the path to promotion looks like. I have asked my manager for goals and a timeline, but I’m not sure how to frame the conversation after 11 months on the job. Is it reasonable at this point to have a clear picture of my path to promotion? Would I be better off from a compensation stantpoint looking for a different company or should I be more direct with my manager around goals/timeline for promotion? I’ve “waited around” for promotions before and know its a big mistake. Nobody hands them out. I’m not sure how I should approach this situation as I’m just 11 months in - perhaps this isnt long enough to take on a PM title at a startup. But 65k in a high COL city isnt great, and I want to take control of my career. Stay at current company and be more direct with my manager around promotion timelines or start looking elsewhere? TC 65k
Leave.
As a previous commenter stated, a little worried that I don’t have enough experience to make a move worth it. That said, all I ever read on Blind is that the only way to substantially increase TC is to switch companies, so I’m inclined to agree with you.
Cracking the PM Interview is a good read for things you can do to prep for your next move. Also start updating your LI profile with product management keywords for the skills and see what kind of interest you get from recruiters. Start taking phone calls and getting used to putting yourself out there at networking events etc.
Thanks - I’m definitely going to give cracking the pm interview a read. It’s been sitting in my amazon cart forever. Pulling trigger today!
Be more direct around timelines or comp increase. Also need to better understand where you're located as this is on the lower end for most pm positions even in mid col areas. Start looking elsewhere but understand unless you're extraordinary you'll probably need around 2 years to really be considered.
Located in Boston. So, not NYC or Bay Area but still expensive especially in the last few years. I agree I do need more time to build my skills as it was a steep learning curve coming from sales. Also frustrating that my job title is “Product Analyst” which is equivalent to APM here but nobody outside of the company would realize that after glancing at my LinkedIn.
Dont be afraid to adjust your title as long as it suits the role and you can defend it. My company uses broad job titles that hundreds of peoples have but we all have different functional roles. I would be more likely to list myself as an apm if I was you, just cross check job posts to ensure your responsibilities match