Career Path of a Product Manager at Levi's
Kanika's career path began with electrical engineering in India, followed by a self-taught transition into software engineering in the US, where they worked as a "full stack engineer". A shift towards client interaction and business management led to roles at GE Healthcare and PayPal, culminating in their current position as a Product Manager at Levi Strauss & Co., driven by a desire to work for companies "most of my friends or my mom or my dad were using on their mobile phones".
Career Pivoting, Product Management, Software Engineering, Business Acumen, Technology Transition
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kanika Kapoor
Product Manager
Levi Strauss & Co.
Punjab Technical University
UCLA Anderson school of management- MBA
Engineering - Electrical
Apparel, Beauty, Retail & Fashion
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Took Out Loans, Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. Kanika's career path showcases a transition from software engineering to product management, highlighting the value of transferable skills.
2. Her journey emphasizes the importance of exploring different roles within an industry (healthcare) before switching industries (retail).
3. Kanika's decision to pursue an MBA demonstrates a commitment to professional development and strategic career planning, which ultimately helped her land a role at Levi Strauss & Co
Transcript
Erotica, could you walk me through your career path? Please start with your experiences in college, any internships or jobs you had, and then discuss your current role.
I graduated with an electrical engineering degree from a university in India. After completing my studies, I moved to the US and began working as a software engineer.
During the last six months of my engineering program, I essentially taught myself to code. I also completed an externship at a coding academy in India. This six-month experience helped me break into software engineering.
My first role was as a full-stack engineer at Qualifacts, an EMR (electronic medical records) company in the B2B healthcare space. This is how I started my career in software and technology.
While working there, I became intrigued by the business aspects of technology. I was particularly interested in the stakeholders and partners who interacted with clients and translated their requirements to me for software development.
After three years in my first job, I sought roles that were more client-facing and business-oriented. This led me to GE Healthcare. My background in the healthcare industry made this transition smoother.
At GE Healthcare, I worked as a product owner, which is similar to a business analyst role. It was a B2B company where I collaborated closely with clients, unlike B2C companies that focus on consumer apps.
After that, I became very interested in consumer apps like PayPal, Levi's, Nike, and Blue Lemon. I wanted to work for a company that my friends and family used on their mobile phones.
This led me to apply for and secure a role as a product manager at PayPal, marking the beginning of my career in the digital product management space. I worked in financial technology services there.
Then, I started business school and developed a strong interest in retail. After three years at PayPal, I interviewed at Levi's for their mobile app. I was drawn to companies like Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy's, and Levi's.
Ultimately, I ended up working for Levi's, where I was recently employed.