Entry-level Positions for Aspiring Product Managers at ChargePoint
Kevin, a Product Manager at ChargePoint, notes that a direct path into product management after undergraduate study is not always necessary, reassuring that "plenty of other ways to get in" exist. Entry-level roles like sales development or consulting positions, which build relevant business and strategy skills, can serve as effective stepping stones to a product management career.
Sales, Consulting, Business Strategy, Technology Careers, Product Management Internships
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kevin Chung
Product Manager
ChargePoint
Cornell University 2011
UCLA MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Energy & Utilities, Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, LGBTQ, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Many entry-level tech roles can lead to product management, even if not directly related.
2. Sales development is a viable entry point, offering product familiarity.
3. Consulting roles provide valuable business and strategy experience useful for product management.
Transcript
What entry-level positions in this field might an undergraduate college student consider?
As I mentioned, regarding my background, I didn't actually take any undergraduate level product career moves to get into product management. So, just as a piece of reassurance, if you can't find anything soon after getting out of your undergraduate years, you can be patient. There are plenty of other ways to get in.
I think some good roles, depending on how you want to approach this, are in technology careers in general that do lead to product. In my case, I started more on the sales side. There are lots of sales development jobs out there, and startups need more people to sell.
By gaining familiarity with the product, that could also theoretically lead to a pivot over to product management, but it can take some time. I think some other classic roles, aside from traditional product management internship roles, are more on the consulting side. Again, something that will get you into business, strategy, and economics – stuff that will be useful to you in a PM role in the future.
I think that's really what I'm thinking about in terms of things that I remember being widely available during undergraduate times. These could be good feeders into a future role in product management.