PM vs SDE for career prospects

Oracle
majilee

Go to company page Oracle

majilee
Jul 31, 2019 6 Comments

Im currently working as a SDE at Oracle. Ive realized that im more interested in business side of things and want to transition to a role that involves coming up with new features, talking to users, focusing on revenue etc. My long term goal is to eventually start a startup or be a C level exec. Would being a PM be right for me? How can I transition?

Pros:
- Right choice

Cons:
- Not sure what it entails. If it fails, May be ill be unfit for SDE and PM both
- People tell me PM is second grade job compared to SDE. How true is it?
- Are PMs paid less than SDE?

TC: 150k, 3yoe.

comments

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TOP 6 Comments
  • Google
    dontbe3vil

    Go to company page Google

    dontbe3vil
    From what I've seen, PMs are paid a little less than swe - so an L5 pm will be paid less than an L5 swe but more than an L4 swe. given what you've said you like, do make sure to get a real product role - not program manager, project manager etc.

    Best way to transition, is to do a side project from scratch - draw up a plan, talk to customers, figure out a launch strategy and then either code or get someone to build something simple and then launch it. Launch ut, measure it and iterate. All pm interviews boil down to "what have you shipped?" And why did you ship those features to that customer? - you can't really answer that until you've done it.
    Jul 31, 2019 1
  • In my experience, but other will disagree, PMs are paid same or more than SWE. But I am also often the only subject matter expert (security) in the teams/company I was in. I guess, for anybody, having 2 competencies instead of just 1 pays more. PM jobs are very different from companies to companies, from actually leading the product to mere reporter/project manager. But again, if you are the sole SME, you will really lead the product.
    Jul 31, 2019 2
  • New
    Grrrr88

    New

    Grrrr88
    Prepare by taking on a non-tech role in your current company, or somewhere in between? Say for example, a TPM role. Hope this post can help you: https://www.rooftopslushie.com/request/Product-Manager-Career-Advice-133
    Jul 31, 2019 0