College Experiences That Helped A Product Manager At Bukuwarung Succeed
Garima's undergraduate success stemmed from embracing diverse opportunities—"I didn't say no to any opportunity"—gaining valuable skills in critical thinking, communication, and working under constraints across various roles, including NGO work and science-related projects. This broad experience, coupled with continuous engagement with technology through blogs and podcasts, proved more impactful than any specific academic path, ultimately equipping Garima with a diverse skillset highly valuable in their product management career.
Career Exploration, Communication, Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Technology
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Garima Yadav
Product Manager
Bukuwarung
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India (graduated in 2017)
UCLA Anderson School of Management (Full Time MBA, current student)
Engineering - Electrical
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
International Student
Video Highlights
1. Say yes to opportunities and build a diverse skillset. Garima emphasizes the value of varied experiences, from working on ergonomic products and in chemistry labs to volunteering with NGOs. These experiences helped develop analytical, critical thinking, communication, and cross-cultural skills applicable to product management.
2. Develop strong soft skills. Garima highlights the importance of soft skills in product management. She suggests actively seeking ways to hone these skills during undergraduate studies.
3. Stay connected with technology trends. For those interested in tech product management, Garima recommends staying updated through blogs, podcasts, or newsletters to maintain a broad understanding of the technological landscape and foster idea generation.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
At that time, it wasn't planned, but in hindsight, I feel those things worked in my favor. The main thing I did was I didn't say no to any opportunity; I kept saying yes.
If something came my way or if I found something interesting, I just took it on. I've worked on ergonomic products and in a chemistry lab. I've also worked with NGOs, in fact, I've worked in two: one for the environment and one for education.
Each of those experiences added up. When I worked on engineering or science-related projects, I honed my critical thinking and analytical abilities. I looked at research papers and became comfortable diving into complex information. I used that data to build a thought process or develop my decision-making.
When I worked with the NGOs, I learned how to be frugal, work under constraints, and communicate across the board, sometimes with people from very different cultural backgrounds. These were things I learned early on and they stayed with me.
Even though my early internships weren't in line with what I'm doing now, I think it's the aggregate skills that I'm able to use. I would suggest that anyone currently in undergraduate focus on that.
Find something that interests you; you're more likely to stick to it. Sticking to something you've started is a bigger metric for success than anything else. If you find something of interest, you're more likely to invest more to get results. When you put in that effort to learn and execute, you retain those concepts for a longer period.
These are skills you pick up on the job. There are many soft skills in being a product manager, and using any avenue to hone those skills is very important.
Another thing that really helps is staying in touch with technology. If you want to work in the tech sector, I highly recommend subscribing to a blog, podcast, or newsletter that keeps you informed about what's happening in the world, even if it's just in headlines.
You're more likely to stay in touch with global events, and then you can cross-pollinate ideas. That actually works when you're in the workplace. So, these are two things I would recommend. Other than that, just do what you like.