This is one of the tech roles you can get started in and it doesn’t involve coding. It requires another level of skill which you can develop. Who knows? You may already have it. When you are into product management, you will be called a product manager.
SO WHO IS A PRODUCT MANAGER?
A Product Manager or PM as they are fondly called is someone who is responsible for seeing a product from its conception to completion. A product manager is a major link or glue that binds everyone working on a product – designers, engineers, developers, marketers, customer support etc. They are involved in every aspect of a product. They are popularly known as the CEO of a product.
HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT FROM PROJECT MANAGERS?
In simple terms, a project manager has a start and end for a project he is working on. A product manager doesn’t have an end. The product manager keeps working on the product, takes feedback to keep evolving the product. They ensure that the product is working, up to date and satisfies the customer.
DO PRODUCT MANAGERS NEED TO CODE?
As a Product Manager, you won’t be required to code. However, a basic understanding of the programming languages used to build the product is a big advantage in the tech industry. A Product Manager’s time will not be spent coding because there are developers that are paid to do 99% of that work.
SKILLS YOU NEED AS A PRODUCT MANAGER
Product managers need to have a solid understanding of the product lifecycle, the product management process and sales forecasting. They also need other skills which are closely linked to analytical thinking, such as problem-solving, risk management and goal orientation. Product Managers need to have great communication, research, business, analytical, delegation, interpersonal, leadership, marketing and management skills. When a Product Manager is referred to as the CEO of a product, it is no joke.
HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?
Learn! Take a program on Product Management because there are some tools you’ll need to learn. I’ll also encourage you to learn how to use tools like Hubspot and Airtable. If you decide today to start learning, in 4 months or less, you should be ready to take up an internship role depending on the efforts you put into learning. You can also do this while learning to build your portfolio. There are startups springing up every day. Pitch to them and get yourself to become an experienced product manager.
SALARY OF A PRODUCT MANAGER
Product Managers gets paid a lot of money especially if you know what you are doing. This is why experience is important. You can’t carry around an online course or textbook knowledge. You need to be hands-on to test your expertise. According to prospects.ac.uk, the starting salaries for product managers and junior product managers are usually between £25,000 and £40,000. Experienced or senior product managers will usually earn between £35,000 and £60,000. Very experienced product managers, heads of product and vice presidents (VPs) of products can earn more than £60,000.
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Very insightful article you posted there. The content is quite very educative and prompts me to go on further studies.
Thanks for the lessons.
Best Regards.