Ask HN: How to switch from a engineering job to entry level PM?

2 points by twtw99 9 years ago | 2 comments

I have a MS in CS from a good private university, currently work in a investment bank as a full stack engineer.

I am extremely interested in how tech drives business with the right UI/UX in the products.

I had a side project where I did tech, marketing and made some decent money, also worked with few freelancers to build a new product. Also worked on sales for a year after high school.

How can I find an entry level PM job? Not many companies have them and it's difficult to get interview call too.

RandomOpinion 9 years ago |

One option might be to take a training course for the PMP certification exam and the PMP exam itself, if you meet the qualifications. While the PMP has its detractors (and not without justification), it does enable you to "sling the lingo", so to speak, and also shows you're committed to making the change.

You're probably also going to need to shift your role at your current job so that you're overseeing projects, whether just as a senior engineer doing technical leadership or as an actual manager of people, instead of just coding. (Do not, however, ignore your coding skills; anecdotally, most software PM positions are for technical PMs and may still require a demonstration of coding skills. Non-technical PMs have a much harder time finding jobs.)

byoung2 9 years ago |

Entry level and management seem mutually exclusive. Maybe you could find the management part of the role as a lead developer or engineering manager?