I realized those skills tie into a lot of what a product manager does, since the main responsibility is to research users' needs and convert them into actionable tasks for the development team. Since I worked in both consulting and investment banking, I had a lot of experience doing market research and analysis, as well as finding engaging ways to communicate information to other people, whether internally or externally. I researched potential jobs before committing to a course or programĪfter researching the different roles I could apply for, I started to pick apart what current skills I had from my previous job that could help me land a new job as a product manager. He spoke passionately about the product, which got me excited about pursuing a new career as a product manager. During a trip to San Francisco, I got the idea to learn more about product management after I met with my former boss, who at that time was the top executive at a popular workplace collaboration tool. I figured it was the perfect time to leave my job and explore completely new opportunities. It wasn't until 2019, when my ex-wife was offered a job in the United States, that we decided to relocate permanently. Because I was primarily working on projects in the finance space, I'd occasionally work on a project with a more technical focus, like consulting for an IT department, and noticed I was more passionate about doing something more aligned in that space. What I liked the most about having a consulting job was that every couple of months, I was able to wear a different hat and jump on a new project at a different company, team, or department.īut after eight years of this job, which entailed working more than 70 hours a week, I decided I no longer wanted to pursue this type of corporate career.

I started my career working in management consulting for Deloitte while I was living in Russia. It has been edited for length and clarity.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Maxim Savelyev, 32, who became a product manager after taking courses offered by LinkedIn Learning.

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