Trying to figure out 'What to do Next'

Hello folks, i have been thinking to pen down a post on this community for sometime now but seeing how GP is becoming a bad mix of quora & Twitter, i refrained myself from doing it but I do believe there are like minded folks in this community who can help me out there. I am a growth product manager in a bank within their digital banking team, have 6+ years of experience post MBA from SIBM Pune. I have worked with a traditional media company for first 3 years and with successful startups for the next 2, I am in my current role for the past 10 months now. My CTC is 35 lpa, (30 fixed, 5 variable )and 3 lac joining bonus. I was doing institutional sales for first 3 years, category management for next 2 and now heading growth for the digital banking app. I am feeling stuck in my professional journey right now, no specific reason but I think banking work culture is a bit boring for me. I am trying to figure out 'what Next' and have also taken up a course with growthx with the intend to learn something new, upskill myself and be relevant as times are progressing. I have always been fascinated with the idea of working with company's like Google, Samsung, Stryker, Spotify where I can have flexibility, good pay but more than that a feel good factor of not having to prove myself everyday at work. I have given the last 6 years to work, I don't intend to be so involved going forward but very firm with the idea of corporate being my primary income I don't know if I am making any sense of the current situation but just wanted to share my mental state.

Hi all! I have 16 years of work ex in Corporate sales and currently working in a leading indian Fintech from last 9 years. I am feeling stuck here with no visibility of growth or even sense of job security. I didn't take risks in my career as I am sole bread earner for my family but it was biggest risk I guess I took. Plz suggest me what all I should do to find good opportunities in terms of growth and job stability. I am introspecting and would really appreciate your valuable feedbacks.

Hi Grapevine, I'm [Saurabh](https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhjain1099/), currently building [Stable Money](https://stablemoney.in/), India’s largest platform for fixed return investments. I'd love to chat with you folks about my journey in building Stable Money, my thoughts on fintech and financial services, organization building, amongst other things. Ask me anything, I'll be back at 7 PM and begin answering! :)

I started out a career in sales and as my uni convinced me, 'it's a stepping to marketing and brand management.' Two years into this role and I'm already regretting it. 1. I don't get 40% of my salary if I don't close my numbers. (who the fuck says yes two $200k deal in one day?) 2. Going months without 40% of my salary translates to not being able to pay off my loans. At all. 3. I really really want to get into marketing. That's always been the deal. B2B companies don't do Marketing, all they have are events. 4. Job switch has become a hellscape. It's the you don't have enough experience 🔁 can't get enough experience. I am not even a fresher! 5. The system is designed in such a way that you just can't win. About to reach a multiplier? Bam, your quota just got increased. Go cry about it. I am stuck. Restarting from internships seems like a shit idea. Universities don't accept under 3 years for a second MBA. Cheers, I guess.

Hi, I am currently 22, graduated recently from a tier 2 institute and currently working at a US based startup earning 18lpa ( almost all base ) + rsu's, lately my family have been nagging me to do a postgrad, I am confused weather I should do an MBA, MS or not do a postgrad at all considering the years I will miss in workex. What should be my best course of action considering ROI in the next 10-15 years ?? P.S. Currently I am not sure what my interest lies in, but just try to excel at whatever comes my way.

I am 23M working in a well renowned Fintech startup. Have got what I have dreamed of in college like high ownership, good pay and other similar things. But lately realized that I can't do these things for my majority of life. Although I enjoy my work but still feeling lonely and aimless. Previous to September it was remote but now they have made it hybrid and I have to reallocate to Gurgaon and now I am feeling more lonely and aimless in life. Have tried travelling and other stuffs inorder to find interest in life but nothing excites me.

Want to discuss if sabbatical being a taboo is valid and peoples opinions of it. I will start with mine Background - 8 years in tech 3 company switches Sabbatical of 1 month, 3 month and 6 month between each break. Personal experience - quite enriching. Though there was panic and anxiety of not having a job during the period, it truly helped me take a step back, reassess my career trajectory, and mostly just Destress and re prioritise Every now and then i loose my true love for tech and product and the sabbaticals helped me to rediscover that by just reading about technology that was not outcome driven ( like for switching a job) Quite rewarding each time in terms of salary jumps also. I think i was able to make a better case for myself at a particular position just because i had more time to process stuff from last job. It also helped me make better decisions for next thing which has in general helped me shape my career better ( i think atleast) Open to anyone sharing their stories/perspectives related to sabbaticals

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.

Almost 4 years since I am working in various sales and BD roles post MBA. Have worked with FMCG and Ecomm companies. Done with chasing numbers everyday and looking for some strategic / mindful work. What are the possible next roles other than sales? Note - not looking for category/account management sort of roles. Been there, done that.