3 Reasons Why it’s the Best Time to Get into Product (and How You Can Get Started)
It wouldn’t be bold of us to proclaim that product management is the hottest space to be in right now. Not only has the coveted function graced every article about the top careers in tech, the need for product managers is more apparent than ever as companies race to keep up with digital demands. Here are three reasons why we think it’s the best time to be a product manager, and tips for starting a career in product.
1. Every company is becoming product led
Being product led means putting your product at the center of everything you do, and it requires rallying every part of your organization around the product. It’s a powerful approach that some of the world’s most successful companies have adopted. Think about organizations like Peloton and Amazon who’ve mastered seamless digital experiences with their customers. Customer expectations are at an all-time high–and the only way to stay ahead of the curve and avoid extinction? By adopting a product-led strategy.
The notion for product-led organizations is not new by any means. Product-led growth (PLG) strategies have been written about extensively, and the last year has only emphasized why it’s crucial to have a strong product strategy. The product is no longer just a single part of the customer experience, it is the experience. As organizations continue to encourage collaboration between departments by placing the product at the center of the business, we can only assume that product-led is here to stay.
2. Product roles are rising in influence
The product manager role has been named as a top career by Glassdoor, and one of the best tech jobs to have by Forbes. Tech titans such as Google and Facebook even have prestigious associate product manager programs that are notoriously hard to get into, which all goes to show that the PM role is experiencing an explosive period of growth. Roles tangential to product management have also made their debut in the last few years, and they all roll up to the Chief Product Officer. But the CPO role itself is no longer just concerned with shipping features. They’re now at the forefront of digital transformation.
Digital transformation has existed well before 2020, but it’s safe to say the pandemic has accelerated the pressure on businesses to better understand customers’ needs and consequently, create digital experiences that meet those needs. Who better than product leaders to lead the charge? They’re uniquely positioned at the intersection of several departments, making product pros key in helping their organization navigate the new digital landscape. We’re placing our bets on the role of product growing in influence, and importance.
3. The product tech stack is growing
As people conduct more of their lives and work inside apps, the stakes are higher for product management. In the last decade, dozens of startups have launched a variety of tools to serve the CPO and the product team. Our 2020 Product Stack boasts 13 categories of tools for the modern product professional. Why? Because the discipline covers such a wide range of responsibilities now. Product leaders have to know how to build the kind of products that customers want to use, and usher the rest of their organization behind this collective effort.
With an emphasis on becoming product led, product people acting as change agents for every org, and a growing tech stack, we can’t help but argue that this is the best time to get into product management.
