I have overall 4 YOE in software engineering space now and have been considering long term view of my career and what my future would look like.  Is MBA a better choice for long term growth and tra...

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I have overall 4 YOE in software engineering space now and have been considering long term view of my career and what my future would look like.

Is MBA a better choice for long term growth and trajectory, I have been working primary in frontend software engineering space and still find it exciting and challenging due to new changes and updates coming everyday.

But is product management better for the long term, what is the career graph for frontend engineers after maybe 10-12 YOE ?

Also how does AI impact both roles in the long term ? Any past software engineers turned PMs what are your thoughts?

Frontend SDE vs MBA

Software Engineer

Frontend SDE vs MBA- Grapevine

Welcome to Product Managers's Private Community

Saw some misguided student post about PM internships. This is for anyone considering a PM internship.

DONT.

A fresher should not be going into Product Management. Focus on building hard skills first. You need an edge/alpha in your career strategy while reducing risk.

Atleast work for 1 year in the industry in a hard skill role. Then, think about transitioning.

This does two things.

1. You have a core differentiator compared to other candidates: Engg/ Design/ Sales/ Data Science/ Analytics.

Having a PM internship is not a good enough differentiator. No company would hire a Product Management intern over someone with hard skills in another domain. 

Product is different. In SDE, it makes sense to have multiple internships as it gives confidence to the recruiter that you’ll be able to do your job.

In PM, no recruiter worth their salt will consider a PM internship contributing to you being a successful PM. Your internship doesn’t contribute anything meaningful to its ability to communicate your skill.

2. You realise if you’re getting into a field because it’s a fad or you’re genuinely interested in it.

I’ve seen many such freshers switch into product and get into suboptimal orgs. Don’t. Do your career a favour and work on your hard skills. That alone will contribute a lot more to your Product Skills than some poor internship.

As a GPM at Gojek, I will never hire anyone who has done a PM internship unless they have a solid track record in a hard skill based role.

You can only be a good “enabler“ if you can empathise with a “builder”. 

Can you be a PM out of college, YES? Should you? NO.

You’ll realise this later in your career. First gain experiences building/enabling real products, you’ll thank yourself for that when it helps you build better Products. 

Also, stop listening to these charlatans who masquerade as Product Gurus. They are out to make a quick buck. Don’t do these Product Courses. It’s all a farce. First, get some experience and then you’ll know

Why you shouldn’t do PM internships?

Product Manager

Sharing some reflections on this:

1. Product is not a function with a large hierarchy / multiple levels in the ladder. Managerial responsibility comes in very late in the product career and the spans are typically small (relative to other functions like engineering, sales, operations). This also means a steeper funnel to the top and only a handful VP Product roles in the industry.

2. Product is centered around technology and digital consumer trends, both of which are fast changing. This requires constant unlearning and relearning. But more critically, this also means that previous knowledge/experience hits a plateau on marginal value beyond a basic threshold (where you have developed some essential product semse and skills).

3. Product managers are also much higher-paid vs other functional peers, at comparable years of experience. This means that a PM gets to a very high salary (say, 1+ crore) by the age of 40 (15-20y into their career). Tech functions in non-tech companies (like FMCG, banking) cannot offer that kind of pay, meaning salary growth beyond a point is limited to tech-first companies / limiting addressable market for lateral moves.

All of these considererd, how should PMs think about the longevity of their careers? Unlike traditional roles, this does not seem like a "retire at 60" job. What would be the realistic age one should plan for, at which career growth and salary growth will stagnate? What are ways in which a 80%ile PM can extend their career (eg: also taking up engineering management or P&L responsibility or growth function etc., to increase scope)?

PS: this post is not for the top 5-10% PMs. They will always find roles at VP level etc, this is for the 50-90%ile bucket of PM talent.

Longevity of a product career

Will commend you on a very well written and well articulated post. 
  
 Options for the future will be apparent at ~40.  Most peak roles will be achieved between 45-50. 
  
 Possible exits: 
  
 1. Running Category roles at companies which have a broad canvas, multiple product categories. 
 2. Deputing for and eventually running a P&L or a LoB. 
 3. Sales or more critically Customer Success.  Don't shy away from revenue responsibilities. 
  
 Engineering is a sharp left turn imo.  It's not an overlapping skillset at best and don't see how that is part of a PMs likely roadmap.

Sales Manager

Investor

What are the ideal options out of the PM roles and what kind of profile is required for the same considering I've started my career being a PM only?

Is an MBA required for these roles?

Exit options from PM roles

Hi! Can you please suggest websites or apps to get mentorship or exposure. I'll go first - ADPList.

Websites/apps to get mentorship or exposure

Business Analyst

Comment “Overpaid” and get random gyaan

Hi! I'm a fresher with about 5 months of work ex. I have previously interned as a PM and now I'm working as an engineer. I'm struggling to choose between software engineering and product management. How should I take a call?

Software engineering vs product management

I know it's an apple-to-orange comparison but which of these two, according to you, leads to a better career*?

By a better career I mean a role that pays better, has better chances to increase that pay, better opportunities to have an impact, better WLB, better peer group, etc

*Let's assume we're talking about a respectable level of competency in either of these fields (a good engineer vs a good MBA)

Software Engineering vs MBA

Data engineer

I am a frontend engineer in a startup with a CTC of 7. I am also from a tier 3 engineering college graduated last month.
I want to become a product manager in the future. 
So my question is what things I should to achieve my goal. Will doing an MBA help me, if yes which is more better MBA from old IIM’s, ISB or global MBA ?

MBA for product manager role

Frontend Engineer

The job market has dried up for senior product roles. Do you think the situation will improve soon? What's your overall outlook of product management as a career beyond 10 years? Do you see yourself doing this for another decade?

Asking mostly from a supply and demand point of view. Also, has seen that the role is becoming more and more vague and replaceable.

Context: Leading a 6 membered product team in a series B funded company. Managing the ceo/cpo opinion differences, moving to wfo from remote, high work pressure and too much reporting. I have been working with series A, series B companies throughout my career.

To people with 10+ years in product management, what's your outlook for the future?

Hey grapeviners, I am a software engineer and earning pretty good, but I have always dreamt of becoming a product manager. I don't hold any MBA. So How do I transition from a software engineer to a product manager.

Software Engineer to a Product Manager

Hello Folks,

I'm currently working at Google, and I'm considering quitting for an MBA (expecting admits to IIM-A/B/C) to break into Product Management.

Honestly, I'm interested in it for industry exposure, the chance to climb the ladder quickly, and, let's be real, the fat paychecks.

I am currently not really earning at the level I should be, even at Google. Could someone with experience share some genuine insights?

Prod Man(after MBA) vs Google

Project Manager

Hi, I'm currently working as a Product Analyst at a promising startup, where I've been working on enhancing product delivery processes, keeping a check on deadlines (part of PMO), and driving client adoption for the past 1.5 years. 

Here my primary responsibilities involve conducting data analysis of projects and tickets, identifying trends and patterns, and providing insights to inform product decisions. However, I'm not directly involved in the core decision-making processes that shape product strategy.

This is my first job and I feel there will be nothing specific that I will own in project management and/or process excellence, there is nothing much to grow in this field, and pretty much anybody can replace this task, *please correct me if I'm wrong. 

I'm particularly fascinated by the prospect of building solutions that will directly impact our clients hence the real world, developing innovative product strategies, and bringing impact to the business. 

I have some questions and seeking guidance. Insights, personal experiences, or any guidance will help me a lot. Thanks in advance.

- Should I consider pursuing a product management role?
- Or should I step toward product strategy? 
- If I need to get into product strategy, how can I do that? is an MBA a must for this kind of role?
- Or are there other avenues that might be more suitable for my current skillset and experience?

Looking for answers and guidance on my career.

Product analyst

PM with 5 years of experience, AMA

AMA: PM with 3.5 YoE , 40L TC , Tier 2 BTech

Senior Product Manager

Indian. I am a SDE (backend) currently. ~2 yrs exp. 16 LPA and I work 40-50 hrs a week. I like where I am, but I am not feeling the zeal for tech anymore. Probably will do a MBA down the line (thinking abroad, not sure) 

Looking for equal or greater pay, similar WLB, new domain. Should I switch to PM and try a hand at it? 

Am I aware of the reality or living in my own isolated reality?

Switch to PM?

Welcome to Business Roles's Private Community

Hi
I am currently at 1.5YOE earning around 60-65k appx 
I am getting opportunities to do an MBA in tier 2 colleges like IIT Roorkee, IIT Kanpur, IIM Nagpur etc
Should I consider them or should I take a drop for a Tier1 MBA or should I continue to grow workex and switch in IT domain only ?

Should I do an MBA

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Do you think product management would still be relevant? Have you thought of any fallback career options?

Frontend SDE vs MBA

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