Why you should consider a Product Management career

Do you know what Marissa Mayer, the former president and CEO of Yahoo, Kevin Systrom, the co-founder of Instagram, and Jeff Bezos, the founder and former CEO of Amazon have in common? Before they became known as the creative forces who designed and operated some of the biggest tech companies in the world, they were Product Managers.

Yes, you read that right: not Project Managers. Product Managers. What’s a Product Manager, you ask? Product Managers are problem-solvers, question-askers, and innovators. They are smart, creative, entrepreneurial people asking and challenging, “why are we doing it this way, and how can we do it better?”

A Product Manager is the creative, impactful, entrepreneurial centre around which customer needs and product-specific business objectives revolve. They define and articulate what success looks like for a product, while identifying and troubleshooting pain points for the customer and leading a team to turn that vision into reality.

Regardless of the industry or size of the company, Product Managers play a critical role in accelerating digital transformation and corporate innovation. However, being an expert in technology or having exhaustive knowledge of what’s being built isn’t essential for success. A Product Manager focuses on ensuring the right product is being created for the right reasons, and that the product gets built, iterated on, and constantly improved over time.

If you come from the world of business, project management, analysis, or leadership — this role is designed for your mindset. If you have honed your skills leading and motivating across teams, developing roadmaps, and seeking to understand your customer — including their pain points, needs, and why they behave the way they do — then you’re already using the tools of great Product Managers.

To learn more about this exciting, in-demand career, check out the Applied Product Management Bootcamp, powered by SAIT’s School for Advanced Digital Technology and delivered through the Centre for Continuing Education & Professional Studies.