The future is looking bright for aspiring product managers, and product management is frequently cited as one of the most in-demand tech jobs.
According to the most recent World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Survey published in 2020, the W.E.F identified product management as one of the top emerging jobs. In 2019, LinkedIn also reported that product management roles in the U.S. had grown by an astounding 32%, five times the average growth for positions unrelated to product management.
What’s more, an increase in the number of products and devices produced in an increasingly competitive market has also driven product manager demand. According to Forbes, the IoT (Internet of Things) already includes more than 20 billion objects, and that’s projected to reach 75 billion in 2025.
Market competition requires companies to find an edge in making products that meet consumer demand, where product managers excel. This is only good news for those looking to become product managers, with a quick search on the job site Indeed.com showing over 40,000 available product management positions in the U.S. right now.
And according to the Product School, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the need to manage products in logistics, finance, insurance, and health care industries.
In terms of compensation rate, entry-level product managers in the U.S. can earn an average of $89,973 a year—this is almost $40,000 higher than the average salary in the U.S., which stands at $53,490 in 2022.
Across the Atlantic, the situation is similar. The average salary for a product manager in the U.K. is £52,913 per year. This is around £20,000 higher than the national average salary of £29,600 annually. Read our detailed salary guide to learn more about salaries in your location.
Why product management?
Recognizing this demand, we’ve created our newest program in Product Management, which is now available.
CareerFoundry’s mission is to make career change universally accessible and effective. Our Product Management Program perfectly aligns with that mission.
Since 2014 we’ve proven that we can train beginners with an online, asynchronous, project-based program, taking them to job-ready professionals in as little as six months in tech fields including UX design, web development, data analytics, and digital marketing.
The success of our tech graduates over the years shows that students need neither experience in a related role nor extensive funds to flourish as a career-changer.
When it comes to the Product Management Program, you’ll work through every step of the product improvement process as you complete a hands-on project with the support of two product management experts—a tutor and a mentor.
And that’s not all—as a student in our Product Management Program, you’ll be backed by the CareerFoundry Job Guarantee. The Job Guarantee is a mark of confidence in our unique learning model; if you don’t find a job in your new field within 180 days of graduation, we’ll refund your tuition. To discover more about your eligibility, take a look at this comprehensive overview.
Next up, we’ll discuss what’s included in the program, how to get on the program waitlist, and how you can take advantage of the Early Bird Discount we’ll be offering closer to the release.
What will you learn from the program?
The CareerFoundry Product Management Program will take you around six months to complete and is broken down into four thematic units.
Our hands-on, project-based program means you’ll learn about the world of product management by working through one of two possible project topics. Both projects put you directly in a product manager’s role, where you’ll be responsible for suggesting improvements for a product.
You’ll explore the research, solution-creation, testing, and iteration phases of the product improvement process, gaining skills necessary for any product management position along the way.
The first introductory phase of the program revolves around building a solid foundation in product management by tackling the key skills to set you up for success as a product manager and creating a plan for your continued development.
This is followed by the immersion phase, where you’ll work and think like a product manager—learning the ropes of understanding your product and aligning your team, initiating your research and defining solutions, validating and refining your idea, and finally launching and iterating your product.
When designing our programs, we group our learning outcomes into the following skill areas: technical, non-technical, and ethical. First, the technical skills. You’ll develop a broad range of on-the-job skills to:
- set a product vision
- conduct user and market research
- develop strategic plans
- create and maintain product roadmaps
- familiarize yourself with visual design through creating low-fidelity prototypes of your solutions
- use data to make informed product decisions
However, we’re preparing you for a real job, which also requires domain-specific non-technical skills related to communication, collaboration, and project management. So, you’ll also learn how to:
- manage a project effectively, including the ability to prioritize and organize workload, create detailed documentation, and deliver to deadlines
- collaborate with others, including in cross-functional teams
- present professional, convincing, and engaging presentations or pitches
- work to an agile methodology
- independently and proactively learn new tools, concepts, trends, and platforms
- manage stakeholders and align the team
- practice problem-solving skills
Finally, ethics. We want you to graduate from our program and enter the workplace responsibly with your skills. That’s why you’ll also learn about what it means to be an ethical product manager, creating ethical and beneficial products, and protecting user data and privacy.
What sets the CareerFoundry Product Management Program apart—in addition to our one-of-a-kind dual mentorship model—is an emphasis on relevant industry topics and real-life case studies to truly immerse you in the product management mindset.
Most importantly, you’ll finish with a product portfolio–something unique to CareerFoundry’s program–that includes a set of product-specific documentation and templates for each stage of the product development lifecycle. You can use these documents on the job hunt and even after you’ve landed your first product manager role!
What can you expect once you’ve finished the program?
You’ll finish with one extensive project for your portfolio that will demonstrate your knowledge of—and experience with—the product improvement process.
By the end of the program, you’ll learn all the technical and non-technical skills, best practices, and industry-standard tools you’ll need to know to find your first job as a product manager. You’ll also have the foundational knowledge and skills for further specialization in the field.
You will be prepared for entry-level product management jobs in various industries, for various products/services, and in different organizational settings (small, large, or an agency).
Are there any discounts if you sign up early?
Yes! We’re offering an exclusive Early Bird discount worth up to 30% off the price for the first 25 students who sign up for the program.
What should you do next?
If you’d like to learn more about product management and what you can expect from the field, sign up for our free short course for beginners, which will introduce you to the key areas of product management in five 10-minute tutorials.
If you’re already excited about the program and would like to secure your place and take advantage of the Early Bird discount, then book a call with a program advisor to receive your discount sign-up link!
About the author
Matthew Deery
Matthew is a Senior Marketing Content Editor for CareerFoundry. For over 2 years he's been helping to break down the world of tech for career changers. He has spent several years working in tech companies on a wide range of consumer issues. When he's not working, he volunteers at organizations such as SAND Journal and Give Something Back to Berlin.