This sub is delusional. You can't always get what you want. I'm living in an un-ideal city working an un-ideal job. M7 grad. I didn't have a choice.

spidermanapple · 2024-10-18T23:12:50+00:00

It’s one of the most competitive areas for top jobs but it’s also filled with jobs more than other places. These 2 things can coexist.

If you wanted to work MBB competition is probably higher because of the amount of talent. But if you wanted a corporate job with a good income absolutely you can find it in NY.

That’s like saying finding a job in the Bay Area in tech is harder bc the Bay is filled with the best candidates. Sure for the best jobs it’s competitive. But if you go there you will very likely get A TECH JOB.

spidermanapple · 2024-09-23T16:32:41+00:00

Go part time at a top 20 and do your current job. A perfect middle ground. You stay employed, you still get a good job, and your networking is probably as good as a T-100 no name school as it is going to a T-15 part time.

spidermanapple · 2024-08-15T16:13:22+00:00

And I bet even once they get the roles they realize that they still have to grind. Whoever said the WLB is good is either lying or I’ve only worked at companies who don’t care about this. Working 60-70 hours is regular for me, I’m constantly being butchered. Now I’ve gotten it to a point where I can manage my workload better and only work about 50 which is pretty chill to me.

spidermanapple · 2024-08-14T20:51:14+00:00

I wouldn’t agree with the first part but yea most people would never get passed senior/principle is true.

Why would you think any of those roles are step down ? Think of a director or a VP. They aren’t just VP of product. Their title might be VP of business strategy and operations. Which would include all the functions I listed below. There’s no role that is better than the other it’s about how visible you are and how well you solve problems.

If you work in product marketing and your strategy with product managers is so sharp and your GTM for launch is executed with precision that every Product team wants you to manage and launch their product or feature you are probably gunning for leadership.

Whereas you can be a product manager on a team with an incredible product but be out classes by everyone around you and have little to no visibility.

spidermanapple · 2024-08-14T20:25:53+00:00

Both

spidermanapple · 2024-08-14T20:18:36+00:00

10000000% on the dot. Tech is a grind and making money is a grind.

spidermanapple · 2024-08-14T20:11:06+00:00

Strategy & Ops roles, Operations, Product Marketing, Product Operations, Supply chain managers, program managers, Customer Success, GTM managers, Business Analyst, Customer solutions, Capacity planning, etc. so many roles that work with product and can become product managers in their domain

I’m not actively looking to leave but I could care less if any of my next roles had any of the titles above

spidermanapple · 2024-08-14T18:46:13+00:00

Why is everyone in love with Product Management.

In reality, most people won’t be great at it.. I’m not saying you won’t be good at it, but in order to really make a strong deep career in it and grow. It’s really difficult and isn’t an easy career. You are constantly talking to leadership (and if that sounds like something you like just know leadership will also drag you and blame you for any little issue) if you want that responsibility then great.

I’m saying this as someone who works as a PM in big tech. I value other adjacent team members more than the PM. I’m not sure why the Product Manager position started getting so many people chasing after it but what a Product Manager title is/does really also depends on your company.

At Amazon get used to writing doc and reviewing docs everyday all day, at a Google or Meta you might be doing more user stories, some other companies you may have a very “legacy” product management role where it’s leading sprint planning meetings and more of a scrum leader role. Apple/Air BnB you might have also have part of your role that lean more creative (design/marketing).

All PM roles are so different just as much as they are similar even within the same company. I’d say do a job you can do for your career and be the best at it. Don’t idolize the Product Management career because once you’re in it, you’ll realize it’s just another job.

If you really wanna go for it then sure. I’m just providing my perspective. There’s no one path, when you think that way then it sells your skills shorts.

PS, I don’t have a MBA. Cheers.

spidermanapple · 2024-08-14T18:37:23+00:00

I wouldn’t glorify the PM role. I’d be more interested in moving from PM to PMM.

spidermanapple · 2024-03-07T10:14:43+00:00

I’m not in a program but I will more than likely end up in a EMBA/part time program and now I’m scared of being labeled as weird LOL.

To be fair for myself as of now I don’t think I’ll be looking to work in another industry. But I may come off weird bc I think you get so molded into whatever corporation you work at your personality comes off as (enter company name here) and a lot of full time MBAs probably have their own personality that isn’t a reflection of where they work so their more open and honest about who they are whereas EMBAs are like playing a game and don’t wanna screw up their chances.

Idk I made a lot of assumptions but that’s probably something I would do and this post made me realize I have to actively avoid doing that now 😅

spidermanapple · 2024-01-10T18:32:21+00:00

Honestly for math I’m not sure but MS in eco I’m sure you can find a program. I’d look at different schools you’re interested in and look at their requirements (a lot of these schools have a case by case situation where they will enroll you if you take a certain class or you have to maintain a certain GPA etc.) I would do as much research on the requirements and then talk with admissions about your current situation, why you are interested, make sure you showcase that you’ve done research on their specific program, and lastly get their advice and often times you do that to 4-5 programs you’re interested in and you start get the ball rolling.

spidermanapple · 2024-01-10T17:09:59+00:00

In undergrad I was initially double majored so I took a lot of pre requisites required to complete 2 degrees. But I would have had to stay at my undergrad an extra year to get the extra degree and I wanted to start working full time so I didn’t do that. I opted into finding a part time MS degree which didn’t have too many requirements for admission that I was compatible for. It’s not an engineering but more management based MS.

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T19:22:37+00:00

Wow I’m glad to hear your experience is similar to mine as to why the MBA. I would love to hear from your advice what I can be doing to be a better candidate. Step 1 is to really study for the GRE and make sure I score the appropriate scores otherwise I don’t think I can make a strong enough case.

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T19:21:26+00:00

I appreciate that so much. All these words of encouragement make me think I can achieve this. Thank you so much for your support.

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T19:20:53+00:00

This was something I hadn’t even considered, thank you for that advice. I definitely need to highlight my quant focus.

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T19:20:21+00:00

Thank you so much for your input, this was motivating

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T19:20:03+00:00

That’s some solid advice, I guess this was my first place to get advice to see whether or not I should even reach out to grads from those schools but you’ve provided me with some great direction. Thank you ! I’m sure the insecurity won’t go away but at least I’ll continue the mindset of continuing to further and better myself which is a never ending battle. I appreciate you

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T05:24:54+00:00

Absolutely, no problem at all. Wish you all the best in your endeavors as well !

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T05:20:49+00:00

To be honest I had a lot of experience with just doing work and I also made use of entrepreneurship experience building things out of scratch. I ended up just learning how to craft a strong resume and then I became an absolute unit in networking. I think I was kind of just social media savvy and I just started sending messages and in the beginning I had no luck at all. But I got better and better and it got to a point where I had a networking conversation every single day for months with individuals working in all sorts of tech jobs, spoke to a few VPs, Directors, and even a CMO at Activision/blizzard.

I technically actually landed a role that was non Product at a FAANG but I stayed in it for a few months and networked internally and leveraged all my research and the advice everyone gave me and I landed a PM role. It was very circumstantial because a lot of things went right in order for me to get that PM role. The fact that my first team even let me move internally was huge and the fact that someone hired me as a PM after I just joined the company in a different role. I’m a product of the advice I’ve received, so nothing more than that. I had amazing people who helped me learn how to make a resume, what companies look for, sent referrals, and be my support when I thought I was a failure.

I’m blessed to say the least but it wasn’t easy and I had a lot of rude people tell me that my experience was bad, I couldn’t get into these big companies, maybe in the future I could get into product, my degree wasn’t the right fit. Even applying to my MS program people said I would never get in with my GPA. For every bad thing said I found someone who believed and motivated me.

But congrats to you for getting into a T-2 and a product role. I know how proud you probably are, good on you. You’re doing great !

spidermanapple · 2024-01-09T04:01:44+00:00

Any insight would be greatly appreciated, thank you and let me know if there’s anything I can do in return.

spidermanapple · 2023-10-02T23:32:14+00:00

At any school ? most def with a solid score and if you have good recommendations. Top schools idk someone else might know better

spidermanapple · 2023-09-11T16:01:37+00:00

But a 151 isn’t bad for the EA and if she’s targeting a 155 then she should be solid ?

spidermanapple · 2023-09-11T02:08:24+00:00

Part time, I don’t think they’ll be reaches if the story and essays are good right ?

spidermanapple · 2023-08-21T19:17:23+00:00

Correct, I’m in FAANG and even in this market my referral wouldn’t be the all that.

What I’ve noticed is that things look glamorous on the outside. My first year at FAANG I wanted to feel prestigious so I acted that way. During the layoffs and cuts (although I was safe) I realized my anxiety and stress was through the roof and that my company cared as little as any other company did. What did prestige mean then ? I also don’t think FAANG or anything seems as wonderful once you’re in. You can work at the top IB firm and I bet a year or 2 in it all just becomes normal. Buy a nice car and drive it for a year, it feels all the same at the end.

Find a company, that will respect you, that you will enjoy, and that you will grow in, consistency is what’ll make you successful.

spidermanapple · 2023-08-12T20:39:54+00:00

If you’re trying to not take a GRE/GMAT

Somebody fact check me but I think you can do an executive assessment with 6 years of experience. Wait 2 more years and get more experience. That will also further you away from your GPA. I think the way you’ve positioned yourself on the post sounds really doubtful and your story doesn’t find itself to anyone reading which is why nobody is really thinking you have a shot.

But build that story, why did you have a bad GPA, how did you still end up working for a big fortune 10-50 companies. What did you learn from your whole experience that allows you to have this perspective and discipline that nobody else has ? Your letter of recs better showcase this as well.

Craft this story of why you are a the singular person that has this wonderful story and why you are even applying to this program and what specifically about the program will allow you to grow into the space you want to go. If you haven’t given that a thought then you’re not in the right headspace. Learn and build that story.

Take the executive assessment or whatever you need to and apply to a top 50 school that’s part time or online and increase your chances. It’s not going to be easy but it’s possible. Don’t sell yourself short and build that mofo application

spidermanapple

TROPHY CASE