Current Senior program manager and retired military officer Seeking Program Manager Referrals. Any help is greatly appreciated. Passed google on-site but was offered L4 even though I was SH address the board. Current role: Senior Program Manager (2 Years) Received highest rating on annual review Past role: Executive Battalion officer/ Senior Program manager (8 years) Education: Undergraduate Degree Economics Graduated ranked #1 Undergraduate Degree Strategic Communication Graduated ranked #1 Graduate Degree MBA Ivy League 3.9 GPA Expected graduation 2023 Certificates: CompTIA A+, NET+, SEC+, ITIL Institute of Project Management Certified Project Director PMP
What kind of role are you looking for, given that Google L4 wasn't it? In tech, program management can mean a lot of things, some of them align very well with your military experience, some would be very different. TPM on a medium sized software team would have really different expectations than ops focused TPM on a different one. Program Manager (non tech) might be an entirely different expectation. Some places have wildly different definitions and expectations. I find for example, that smaller non-tech companies value PMP, and project management, whereas tech companies actually see it as a negative. A good program management career is about picking the places/projects/problems that need the skills you provide. You have a lot of great experience but it may not translate to every environment. How you think about where you thrive will help align you with the right opportunities.
You know I really appreciate this response. You clearly gave it some serious thought, thank you. I have 5 years of cyber security and tech and the rest is pretty general. I truthfully was expecting an L5 role based on experience and education.