How to Become a Product Manager?

Career paths, red flags, and step-by-step instructions.

Hey, Paweł here. Welcome to the free edition of The Product Compass, republished on Medium.

My original post available without a Medium subscription: https://www.productcompass.pm/p/how-to-become-a-product-manager

One of the top three problems I help with premium subscribers on Slack is breaking into product management.

So, in today’s issue:

1. Career paths, recommended steps, and red flags for each role.
2. The next steps you can take.

1. Career paths, recommended steps, and red flags for each role

Here’s an overview of roles and transitions I discuss in this point:

Let’s dive into them one by one:

College / University: How to become a Product Manager without experience?

For graduates, the best starting points include roles such as Engineer, Data Scientist, Aspiring Product Manager, Marketer, Designer, Support, and Success. Sales is also an option, though it may not suit everyone.