11 answers
jessica
Student
Stanford, California
2
Questions
Asked
1863 views
Interned at Google as a Product Manager and wonder switching my career role
Interned at Google and a couple of startups and realized that product management framework isn't something tangible where it's not an essential skillset needed in a startup. I'd like to be a person who's absolutely needed with tangible skill sets.
Talked with a few product managers who've gone to director levels, who shared their concerns about the job potential themselves.
I value roles that create a direct impact on the business such as software engineers, UX designers, and sales. Unfortunately, I don't want to pursue any of those roles.
How do I solve my dilemma where I want to have tangible skill sets with direct impact but don't want to take on those three roles? It's a tough problem to solve, and please share your thoughts...
#career, #design, #product
11 answers
Caren K.
Technology and Intellectual Property Lawyer
8
Answers
New Jersey, New Jersey
Updated
Caren’s Answer
Have you considered whether supporting a different type of product would be more satisfying? Good product managers have a big impact on a product's success, because you're responsible for stakeholdering and bringing various groups together to develop and launch. Perhaps hardware or consumer products, being of a more tangible nature than software, would be interesting. To that end, industrial design and human factors have a direct impact on products, customers, and revenue generation. If you're thinking about corporate bottom lines, then other roles also contribute, such as Procurement or Supply Chain. You will need a good understanding of the business/group that you are representing, knowledge of the industry, and excellent ability to communicate in writing and orally, and to read and negotiate contracts. Supply Chain is a broad area with interesting specialties, and contributes directly to the bottom line, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability.
Thank you so much. That sounds like a very good opportunity.
jessica
Brittany Horton, PSM, PSPO
Product Manager
6
Answers
Schaumburg, Illinois
Updated
Brittany’s Answer
Rather than a Product Manager, have you thought perhaps about a Product Owner role? Product Owners work within the backlog, participate in Sprints, and work with web developers, graphic designers, and other individuals you've mentioned to ensure the success of the product.
I think maybe you could consider researching a Product Owner. There's some overlap, but I do believe their roles may have more "tangible" skills.
I think maybe you could consider researching a Product Owner. There's some overlap, but I do believe their roles may have more "tangible" skills.
Judi McEachin
Product Management
24
Answers
Midlothian, Virginia
Updated
Judi’s Answer
In my experience the product manager role can be vastly different across companies, size of companies, products and industries. In large companies the role can be so matrixed and distanced from the hands-on use of the product that it can be difficult to feel like you are making a difference. In small companies the role is more tactical where the product manager may be doing everything from gathering requirements, marketing research, acceptance testing, presenting to their board of directors and playing a key role in keeping the trains running on time with Product releases, client implementations and closing sales. You mentioned you interned for Google and startups. I’m wondering if the mix of product and company size was the right fit for you?
One way you can develop skills that are more tangible is to zero in on any one of these areas mentioned above and become certified. For example you can become a certified product marketing manager and focus on your marketing skills (Pragmatic Marketing). Or become more knowledgeable about Agile Product delivery by becoming SAFe certified. Employers look for people with these specific certifications because they deliver specific skills.
I hope this was helpful!
One way you can develop skills that are more tangible is to zero in on any one of these areas mentioned above and become certified. For example you can become a certified product marketing manager and focus on your marketing skills (Pragmatic Marketing). Or become more knowledgeable about Agile Product delivery by becoming SAFe certified. Employers look for people with these specific certifications because they deliver specific skills.
I hope this was helpful!
Brian Edwardson
23
Answers
Updated
Brian’s Answer
I hope this answer doesn't sound too obvious but I've been in a similar position.
To me the question here is about pivoting out of a Product Career. I am also in Product at a technology company and I do struggle without having that tangible "skillset' that gives me that foundational selling point to someone else.
One thing to remember - there are also disadvantages to being pigeon-holed by specific skillset. For example - someone who is really good at SQL or Tableau.....is stuck to a very small windows of careers that require this. Product is a skillset that gives you a framework of thinking cross many industries.
If you are set on wanting tangible skillsets I would suggest the following:
1. What do you do today that you find yourself getting lost in and enjoy doing it
2. Get some certifications in those skillsets
3. Network to find careers with those skillsets.
To me the question here is about pivoting out of a Product Career. I am also in Product at a technology company and I do struggle without having that tangible "skillset' that gives me that foundational selling point to someone else.
One thing to remember - there are also disadvantages to being pigeon-holed by specific skillset. For example - someone who is really good at SQL or Tableau.....is stuck to a very small windows of careers that require this. Product is a skillset that gives you a framework of thinking cross many industries.
If you are set on wanting tangible skillsets I would suggest the following:
1. What do you do today that you find yourself getting lost in and enjoy doing it
2. Get some certifications in those skillsets
3. Network to find careers with those skillsets.
Abigael Pamintuan
User Experience Designer
5
Answers
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Updated
Abigael’s Answer
I echo Caren's answer in saying that finding a product or service that you like makes a big difference in the role(s) you'll take on with it. Finding something that aligns with your interests will give you an extra source of motivation; you may not start out in a position that you naturally gravitate towards but, over time, might find room to move horizontally (and not just vertically - promotion-wise) to get closer to a position that you enjoy with more tangible skills.
If you want to stay in tech, from my current experience, there's also UX research which involves usability testing (a tangible skill which involves interacting directly with people - your users), analyses (quantitative and qualitative), and some type of summary writing (briefs, reports, lists, etc.) and presentations (usually to your team or your department). In bigger companies, you're more likely to find a dedicated role towards UX research whereas, in smaller companies like startups, you may have to wear more hats and do both UX research and design.
What I've found really helpful as an emerging professional so far is to be open to different opportunities (i.e. your first job may not be your dream job) and see the growth and possibilities in each one. For example, my time as an instructional designer (another role that may interest you) is helping me in my current role as an Experience Design Intern at Autodesk as I think about different ways that people effectively learn new software.
If you want to stay in tech, from my current experience, there's also UX research which involves usability testing (a tangible skill which involves interacting directly with people - your users), analyses (quantitative and qualitative), and some type of summary writing (briefs, reports, lists, etc.) and presentations (usually to your team or your department). In bigger companies, you're more likely to find a dedicated role towards UX research whereas, in smaller companies like startups, you may have to wear more hats and do both UX research and design.
What I've found really helpful as an emerging professional so far is to be open to different opportunities (i.e. your first job may not be your dream job) and see the growth and possibilities in each one. For example, my time as an instructional designer (another role that may interest you) is helping me in my current role as an Experience Design Intern at Autodesk as I think about different ways that people effectively learn new software.
Jean Noel Sanchez
Developer/Data Analyst
48
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jean Noel’s Answer
Hi - Your realization is spot on and surprisingly common. Early-stage startups rarely need a pure PM because the founder *is* the product manager, and every early hire needs to build, sell, or design. When product frameworks feel theoretical rather than operational, it usually means you are looking for **craft mastery**—skills where the output is concrete, measurable, and independent of organizational consensus.
If you rule out Software Engineering, UX Design, and Sales, you are essentially eliminating traditional code-writing, visual/interaction design, and quota-carrying external dealmaking. However, several high-impact roles sit right at the intersection of tangible craft and direct business outcomes.
Here are four high-value career paths to evaluate:
### 1. Growth / Quantitative Marketing & Operations
Instead of traditional brand marketing, this focuses on engineering customer acquisition, retention, and monetization mechanics.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Mastery of SQL/Python, data pipeline analysis, A/B testing frameworks, lifecycle automation, and paid acquisition channel management.
* **Direct Business Impact:** You directly own conversion rates, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Lifetime Value (LTV). If you optimize a onboarding funnel and increase conversion by 3%, you just generated measurable revenue.
* **Why it fits:** It leverages your product intuition without needing to manage product roadmaps through stakeholder alignment.
### 2. Solutions Architect / Forward-Deployed Engineer (Technical Services)
This sits between product, engineering, and customer implementation. Forward-deployed roles (popularized by companies like Palantir) involve building tailored integrations, scripts, and workflows to make a product work for enterprise customers.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Technical configuration, API integration, data modeling, and custom workflow automation.
* **Direct Business Impact:** You directly unblock high-value enterprise revenue and prevent churn by solving complex operational problems for clients.
* **Why it fits:** It delivers the high-touch customer visibility of sales and the concrete deliverables of engineering, but focuses on problem-solving rather than core infrastructure development.
### 3. Revenue Operations (RevOps) & Business Operations (BizOps)
BizOps and RevOps act as the internal mechanics of a high-growth company. Rather than building the customer-facing product, you build and optimize the business engine itself.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Financial modeling, GTM process optimization, SQL/BI dashboard creation, pricing strategy, and system architecture (HubSpot, Salesforce, Stripe, warehouse integrations).
* **Direct Business Impact:** You identify revenue leaks, fix broken operational funnels, and optimize unit economics. At a startup, a good BizOps lead keeps the company from running out of money or stalling out on growth.
* **Why it fits:** It offers hard analytical skills with absolute transparency on how your work moves the company's core metrics.
### 4. Technical Program Management (TPM) / Supply Chain & Operations
If you enjoy execution, logistics, and making complex systems run smoothly, technical program or operations management provides direct leverage over deliverables.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Complex systems architecture mapping, risk modeling, capacity planning, vendor management, and technical execution tracking.
* **Direct Business Impact:** You ensure critical products ship on time, under budget, and without operational failure. In hardware or logistically heavy startups (e.g., robotics, defense, biotech, climate), operations *is* the core product.
* **Why it fits:** It strips away vague product prioritization frameworks and replaces them with hard operational delivery.
---
### Step-by-Step Approach to Deciding
1. **Audit Your Tooling Preference:** Pick one hard tool ecosystem you actually enjoy building in—whether that's advanced SQL/Python for data, financial modeling in spreadsheets, or API/no-code operational stacks.
2. **Shift to Prototyping Over Planning:** At startups, prove your utility by building functional prototypes, data pipelines, or automated internal tools rather than writing PRDs (Product Requirement Documents).
3. **Target Mid-Stage Startups (Series A/B):** Seed startups only need builders/sellers. Mature tech giants over-index on process. Series A/B companies are where specialized operational and growth crafts become indispensable.
Which of these domains—data/growth, client-facing technical problem solving, or internal business mechanics—feels closest to the type of tangible work you'd enjoy doing day-to-day?
If you rule out Software Engineering, UX Design, and Sales, you are essentially eliminating traditional code-writing, visual/interaction design, and quota-carrying external dealmaking. However, several high-impact roles sit right at the intersection of tangible craft and direct business outcomes.
Here are four high-value career paths to evaluate:
### 1. Growth / Quantitative Marketing & Operations
Instead of traditional brand marketing, this focuses on engineering customer acquisition, retention, and monetization mechanics.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Mastery of SQL/Python, data pipeline analysis, A/B testing frameworks, lifecycle automation, and paid acquisition channel management.
* **Direct Business Impact:** You directly own conversion rates, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and Lifetime Value (LTV). If you optimize a onboarding funnel and increase conversion by 3%, you just generated measurable revenue.
* **Why it fits:** It leverages your product intuition without needing to manage product roadmaps through stakeholder alignment.
### 2. Solutions Architect / Forward-Deployed Engineer (Technical Services)
This sits between product, engineering, and customer implementation. Forward-deployed roles (popularized by companies like Palantir) involve building tailored integrations, scripts, and workflows to make a product work for enterprise customers.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Technical configuration, API integration, data modeling, and custom workflow automation.
* **Direct Business Impact:** You directly unblock high-value enterprise revenue and prevent churn by solving complex operational problems for clients.
* **Why it fits:** It delivers the high-touch customer visibility of sales and the concrete deliverables of engineering, but focuses on problem-solving rather than core infrastructure development.
### 3. Revenue Operations (RevOps) & Business Operations (BizOps)
BizOps and RevOps act as the internal mechanics of a high-growth company. Rather than building the customer-facing product, you build and optimize the business engine itself.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Financial modeling, GTM process optimization, SQL/BI dashboard creation, pricing strategy, and system architecture (HubSpot, Salesforce, Stripe, warehouse integrations).
* **Direct Business Impact:** You identify revenue leaks, fix broken operational funnels, and optimize unit economics. At a startup, a good BizOps lead keeps the company from running out of money or stalling out on growth.
* **Why it fits:** It offers hard analytical skills with absolute transparency on how your work moves the company's core metrics.
### 4. Technical Program Management (TPM) / Supply Chain & Operations
If you enjoy execution, logistics, and making complex systems run smoothly, technical program or operations management provides direct leverage over deliverables.
* **The Tangible Craft:** Complex systems architecture mapping, risk modeling, capacity planning, vendor management, and technical execution tracking.
* **Direct Business Impact:** You ensure critical products ship on time, under budget, and without operational failure. In hardware or logistically heavy startups (e.g., robotics, defense, biotech, climate), operations *is* the core product.
* **Why it fits:** It strips away vague product prioritization frameworks and replaces them with hard operational delivery.
---
### Step-by-Step Approach to Deciding
1. **Audit Your Tooling Preference:** Pick one hard tool ecosystem you actually enjoy building in—whether that's advanced SQL/Python for data, financial modeling in spreadsheets, or API/no-code operational stacks.
2. **Shift to Prototyping Over Planning:** At startups, prove your utility by building functional prototypes, data pipelines, or automated internal tools rather than writing PRDs (Product Requirement Documents).
3. **Target Mid-Stage Startups (Series A/B):** Seed startups only need builders/sellers. Mature tech giants over-index on process. Series A/B companies are where specialized operational and growth crafts become indispensable.
Which of these domains—data/growth, client-facing technical problem solving, or internal business mechanics—feels closest to the type of tangible work you'd enjoy doing day-to-day?
Lilia Tsalenko
Executive Recruiter
1
Answer
Palo Alto, California
Updated
Lilia’s Answer
Jessica, it is a great question and you are not alone in your journey in finding the career path that will make you happy!
Strategically you would like to get the first full-time job that serves as a springboard for your career.
I would start listing what you like about your product management experience, what you do not like about it, what would an ideal FIRST position offer you and what would you like to LEARN there, what you can tolerate, and what you can not tolerate. There are many hugely impactful roles that include business development, operations, product operations, marketing, sales, recruiting. No matter what path you chose, I would suggest to reflect on the following:
- what type of people you would like to be around?
- what corporate culture and dynamics are you looking for?
- what are your main strengths? what do you naturally do better than others?
- would you like in your first job to get exposure to many different roles & functions? (many companies offer rotation programs for fresh graduates)
- how important is the compensation level for the first year? for the first 5 years?
- do you love travel? would you like to have an opportunity to travel the world when COVID is over?
The answers to these questions will help you to decide where would you like to go.
And one more point -- continuously build your professional network. Nevermind what company you join first and what role you take, the network will help you to get where you want to be.
Strategically you would like to get the first full-time job that serves as a springboard for your career.
I would start listing what you like about your product management experience, what you do not like about it, what would an ideal FIRST position offer you and what would you like to LEARN there, what you can tolerate, and what you can not tolerate. There are many hugely impactful roles that include business development, operations, product operations, marketing, sales, recruiting. No matter what path you chose, I would suggest to reflect on the following:
- what type of people you would like to be around?
- what corporate culture and dynamics are you looking for?
- what are your main strengths? what do you naturally do better than others?
- would you like in your first job to get exposure to many different roles & functions? (many companies offer rotation programs for fresh graduates)
- how important is the compensation level for the first year? for the first 5 years?
- do you love travel? would you like to have an opportunity to travel the world when COVID is over?
The answers to these questions will help you to decide where would you like to go.
And one more point -- continuously build your professional network. Nevermind what company you join first and what role you take, the network will help you to get where you want to be.
Alexandra Grashkina-Hristov
International Tax Professional
187
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Alexandra’s Answer
It is completely fair to want a job where you have "tangible" skills. There are many such careers. If you are a medical or engineering professional, for example, or a scientist, you certainly have to have specific education and skills. The same applies to many other professions, though. Professional musicians and dancers have skills that others cannot easily replicate. The same goes for lawyers and accountants.
I am just wondering what type of area of work you find attractive. You don't have to stay in tech either.
If you do want to stay in tech, but you are not interested in software engineering, design and sales, how about another field that is relevant to the tech industry? Maybe linguistics, data analytics or statistics? There are some interesting degrees out there in the realm of psychology, too, for example: Human-Computer Interaction.
I am just wondering what type of area of work you find attractive. You don't have to stay in tech either.
If you do want to stay in tech, but you are not interested in software engineering, design and sales, how about another field that is relevant to the tech industry? Maybe linguistics, data analytics or statistics? There are some interesting degrees out there in the realm of psychology, too, for example: Human-Computer Interaction.
Vera Vetter
Product Manager
22
Answers
Mountain View, California
Updated
Vera’s Answer
Hi Jessica, I've been in Product for a while and can certainly understand your concerns. I think, one way to alleviate them is to build a domain expertise. For some PMs it comes in the form of a niche technology domain, for others in hands-on skills (e.g. UX design or coding), market (e.g. Medical devices, geo, e.g. North Africa, etc.). While there's no guarantee of being fully indispensable - perhaps, just like in any career - having these differentiators can be extremely beneficial.
Nicole K
Product Manager
6
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Hi Jessica!
I want to +1 Caren's answer and some of the others; Product Managers can have incredible impact on a business. It's all about finding and pursuing the right opportunities, taking calculated risks that benefit the users/customers/business, and being inspiring and effective.
What were the concerns that you have and that other PMs shared with you? That could help us ease your worries. :-)
I want to +1 Caren's answer and some of the others; Product Managers can have incredible impact on a business. It's all about finding and pursuing the right opportunities, taking calculated risks that benefit the users/customers/business, and being inspiring and effective.
What were the concerns that you have and that other PMs shared with you? That could help us ease your worries. :-)
elaine lee
product design
5
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
elaine’s Answer
I believe that a product manager is crucial to the success of products and offers a lot of value. Say you're still interested in product management. There are a few tangible skillsets that overlap with product designers. As a product manager, you will need to be able to create user flows. These don't need to be visually designed, but you can use flow charts to create a map of how the product works and how a user interacts with the product. If you're looking for an artifact to show, this would be essential. You'll be using this to rally your team around your vision.
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