Product managers are the people who help companies make better decisions consistently regarding their business plans. They are the ones that create the entire roadmap for a product or a service of a company from inception to reaching the targeted consumer.
A product roadmap helps the product move on the right track and keeps all the invested resources involved in the journey well aligned and on track. The product manager is the person who keeps the ultimate vision in his eyesight and sees that each part of the development is done right and on time. A product manager is an amalgamation of a brand manager, production supervisor, marketing manager, and consumer resource in-charge.
A career in Product Management can be rewarding as you see the full journey of a product’s development. It can take weeks to months for a product to be launched, and it is the product manager’s job to see that the various teams involved in the process perform their task at full optimal levels. They are the ones who give scope and clarity to the people involved.
The reward is in seeing a successful completion of a task undertaken.
What are the resources available that will help you launch your career in this space?
Product Management Courses and Certifications
There are many degrees and certifications courses available both online and offline that give product management training. People fresh out of school can opt for the two to three-year degree course. Anyone with a bit of experience in marketing, product designing or sales, or any management role can opt for the shorter duration courses.
Product Management training courses broadly cover skills related to product marketing, market/launch strategies, business analytics, engineering, and design.
Other new-age courses include managing digital products and Lean and Agile product management.
- One way to go about it is by taking online product management courses
Such online courses have a plethora of online resources and instructional videos. They have guest lectures from industry professionals, and some have niche courses designed by field experts. The training material covers basic topics like how to become a product manager to advanced topics such as pitching product ideas.
- Attend industry events
If so inclined, you can sign up for training programs conducted by industry organizations. Some field experts have a single day or a week program that you can attend.
Product leaders and experienced product managers teach such sessions. They have a very hands-on, real-world approach that covers situations that you are likely to face as a product manager.
- Join Slack and LinkedIn Product Management Communities
Online product management communities are useful for gaining knowledge from product managers and trainers. They are a great resource for gaining solutions to any problems faced in carrying out tasks.
The Slack product community has blogs, interviews with product leaders, and even a course called One Week PM. There are nearly 50,000 members with weekly question answers sessions. It is an excellent opportunity to network and share problems and ideas.
LinkedIn has the Product Management Networking Group, where you can network and learn about trends in your industry.
- Pick up other disciplines like product development, marketing, or leadership management
Product managers are involved in a product’s journey through design, development, quality checks, marketing, sales to consumer feedback, and analysis; they need to be jacks of many trades.
Product managers can learn disciplines and skills that complement the job. Learn to be an entrepreneur. Being a part of a product’s journey, a product manager has an insight into all the disciplines required to make a successful product. Hence, why not be the boss of the show. It is proven that most product managers go on an entrepreneurial journey. Pick up a short course on how to be a leader.
Numerous online short courses offer business management and leadership courses.
- Blogs, newsletters, and website resources
Keeping up with industry trends and knowledge resources is a good way to keep abreast and learn on the job. The web is a great resource as something new on Product management training is published every day.
People working in leading companies such as Google, Facebook, Tesla, etc have personal blogs or community platforms where they regularly share experiences and new trends or insights. They are a great source to pick up inside news and innovative tactics and are a steady stream of valuable new product management training content.
Subscribe to industry newsletters.
PM School has certificate courses to kick start your product management journey and hone your skills. They provide expert mentoring, career guidance, and networking opportunities. They offer product management challenges, and winners get a PM certificate of achievement, a definite asset.
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