What are the most common ways to get into Product Management?
The two most common paths for getting into a product management role are:
Through an internal transition
Being hired as a Junior/Associate Product Manager
The most common and accessible scenario of getting into Product Management is through an internal transition. Also, this makes sense since a person who is considered to be competent for the role is already hired, understands the context and has developed existing relationships within the business — a big plus.
My path to Product Management was, indeed, through an internal transition from a Software Engineer role. During that time, I was passionate about user experience, interested in the business side of things and, of course, deep into the technology space. Only later, when I joined Yahoo! in Sydney, I learned about Product Management.
When I heard what Product Managers do, I was blown away and decided that I wanted to do that exact job. I spoke to my manager and began to transition into the Product Manager role. Within six months, I completed my transition and have loved being in and around all things to do with creating products ever since.