Tech is an exciting industry that continues to grow and evolve. According to Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America for 2021, eight out of the top 10 jobs are in this field. This isn’t surprising considering how much of our everyday lives increasingly rely on tech. Think of what you’ve done so far today and you’ll probably realize that you’ve used at least one app on your smartphone, bought something online, or checked Instagram without even thinking about it. This clearly shows that opportunities in tech are on an upsurge with no end in sight.
Contrary to what many people think, there’s more to the tech industry than just programming and software engineering. One area that is growing in popularity is product management and product manager is currently listed as the third-best job on the Glassdoor list. Defined as individuals “responsible for the strategy and blueprint of a product or product line”, the role of the product manager is expected to grow in 2021 and beyond. This particular specialization is a great fit for people who are interested in tech products but may not necessarily have the skills, or even the interest, in coding and engineering.
If product management is a field you are considering for your new career, getting certified is a great way to get your foot in the door. Product School offers industry-recognized certificates and is the global leader in product management training with a community of over one million product professionals all over the world. Aside from certificates for individuals, the school also provides bespoke corporate training for product management teams that can be customized to an organization’s needs.
How Product School Started
In 2014, Product School was founded by CEO and Founder Carlos González de Villaumbrosia. He was a trained engineer but was interested in more than just building. “Product School was a solution to my own problems because I came from an Engineering background. I learned how to code but I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life coding,” Carlos said.
“I went to business school in California and that was refreshing for me because I met a lot of other engineers who also wanted to leverage their technical background in a different way. I also met different folks from business and design who wanted to be closer to the action. They wanted to build something digital but they felt intimidated because they didn’t know how to code. So here we were, two different groups of people, trying to tackle the same problem, just from different angles,” he shared.
“A few years forward, I continued my career as a builder and entrepreneur. I learned product management on the go. I started two companies before Product School and in reality, I realized that ‘I’m literally learning by failing. None of this stuff I was doing was learned in the traditional educational system’. After those two entrepreneurial efforts, I realized I wanted to start the school of my dreams and something I wished I had when I was getting started. And here we are now 7 years later. It makes me very proud because Product School is all about helping people grow their careers,” Carlos said.
Product School offers live online classes that give its students a healthy mix of group activities, real-world case studies, and hands-on mentorship. Aside from classes, the school also runs daily online events led by Silicon Valley product leaders and hosts the largest online product management conference, #ProductCon, four times a year, attended by over 15,000 participants each time.
Relevant Courses for the Real World
Product School offers three certificates:
- Product Manager Certificate: This certificate is made for aspiring product managers and those that have just started their careers in product management. These include people who work in another industry, even those coming from a non-tech background, and want to transition into product management. Students will learn how to build digital products from end to end, lead cross-functional teams, and improve their resume writing and interview skills.
- Product Leader Certificate: Perfect for those who have taken the Product Manager Certificate and for product managers with three or more years of experience and are ready to go to the next level. Students will learn how to operate as a senior-level product manager by going deeper into every aspect of the product development cycle, and product strategy design.
- Product Executive Certificate: This is Product School’s most advanced certificate. Made for Product Leader Certificate graduates and product managers who have five or more years of experience. It is designated for proven product leaders who want to learn how to scale products and manage dynamic teams. Perfect for those whose goal is to join the C-suite.
The courses are meant to emulate the real-life responsibilities of a product manager as much as possible. Each certificate is meant to be taken one after another, mirroring a product manager’s career trajectory as they rise through the ranks.
Certificate Course Details
All courses are designed to allow both students and instructors to continue with their full-time jobs while attending Product School. Students can choose to enroll in a two-month part-time course on weekends or weeknights, but there’s also the option to take a five-day intensive, full-time course for those that prefer this schedule.
Product School classes are delivered live online. Students will be able to interact with instructors and collaborate with peers in real-time during class hours. You can attend classes from wherever you are located in the world because cohorts are offered in different time zones to cater to global students.
The school focuses on offering hands-on learning and its classes are designed with this in mind. From the first day of each course, students use the latest product management tools, participate in group exercises, discuss case studies, work on improving their resumes, and undergo mock interviews.
Not all learners are at the same place in their careers when they decide to take a Product School certificate course. Because of this, the school offers various tuition payment plans depending on what works best for the student. A student may opt to pay for a certificate upfront which costs $4,199 or pay via a flexible installment plan for as little as $129/month.
What Makes Product School Unique
Product School courses simulate real-world experiences in product management. All instructors are currently working as product managers at top Silicon Valley companies such as Google, Facebook, Slack, and more. They bring their professional experience directly from their day jobs into the classroom and give students an insider’s look into what it’s like to work as a product manager.
Cohorts at Product School are kept small. Unlike other schools where you might be in a class with 30 or 40 other students, Product School’s average cohorts consist of just 17 people. The school strives to make cohort sizes similar to product management teams in a workplace setting.
Students are also taught and given free access to the same tools that product managers at top companies use every day. A few examples of these are Balsamiq, Mural, Heap, and Opimizely. Not only will you be familiar with the full tech stack that product managers generally use but by the time you complete the course and land your first product management job, you’ll have the know-how to start using them immediately.
The path towards success in product management doesn’t stop at the Product Manager Certificate. For those who are already in the field and want to take their careers to the next level, the Product Leader Certificate and Product Executive Certificate will give you the skills needed to help you climb the corporate ladder all the way to the C-suite.
Lifetime Access to a Global Community
After completing their Product School course, graduates remain part of the world’s largest product management community. Currently, there are over one million product professionals who are part of this community with more and more members joining each year. Students stay in touch with their cohorts and instructors even after completing the course, building and growing their professional network all over the world. Graduates come out of Product School with new skills, an industry-recognized certificate, as well as trusted working relationships with fellow product managers.
Join a Vibrant Community of Like-Minded Product Managers
Through its Product Manager Certificate, Product School will give you the knowledge, skills, and more importantly, the confidence to help you land your first job as a product manager. Keep in mind that this certificate is not a guarantee that you will get a new job. There is no certificate in the world that comes with a total job guarantee. However, for many people around the world, Product School courses have been instrumental in starting a successful and fulfilling career in product management.
For existing product managers and people who run their own companies, higher-level certificates will help you grow and upskill yourself in this field. Learning advanced skills in product development cycles, product strategy, and managing dynamic teams ensure that you are up-to-date in the latest trends in product management, keeping you on track to reach your professional goals.
If product management sounds like a good fit for you or you are ready to upskill and upgrade your product management knowledge, visit the Product School website today or schedule a call to learn more about their courses and get your application started.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
