Deep Dive: Get Industry Experience to Transition Into a Product Role with PMDojo

The incredible growth of digital products worldwide has made working in the product space more popular than ever. With 4.95 billion Internet users and 5.31 billion unique mobile phone users worldwide, growing demand for product professionals is inevitable. This translates into demand for reskilling and upskilling opportunities in the product space.

PMDojo empowers people to transition into a product career by making opportunities for learning, mentorship, and career more accessible. Its mission is simple: to create a diverse and inclusive learning community that welcomes people with different backgrounds, experiences, learning styles, and abilities.

Through its unique Product Accelerator program that provides a solid foundation in product, its fellows obtain the in-demand skills needed to start and thrive in product.

What Is PMDojo?

PMDojo is a platform that strives to connect people interested in pursuing product careers to live and immersive learning, career guidance, and job opportunities at leading companies. Its beginnings trace back to Bosky Mukherjee, a seasoned leader with close to two decades of experience in product and tech roles.

After spending a lot of time doing what she loved in the industry, Bosky realized there was a way for her to pursue her passion for the product world while empowering others through creating more opportunities for learning and personalized mentorship. And so in 2019, Bosky launched PMDojo.

PMDojo’s main program is Product Accelerator. It is designed for a diverse audience, including professionals from other fields looking to pivot into a product role such as product management, UX design, UX research, engineering, product operations, or product marketing. It is also suitable for experienced product professionals interested in gaining more experience and growing in their roles and those from different tech roles, such as software engineering.

What to Expect from PMDojo’s Product Accelerator Program

The PMDojo Product Accelerator is an online apprenticeship-style program designed to launch or grow product careers in 10 weeks.

The program focuses on providing participants with real-world and industry experience through a curriculum designed by hiring managers. Participants of Product Accelerator, also known as fellows, can expect the following:

• Live and immersive learning from leaders from the tech and product industry
• Experience collaborating in diverse and cross-functional teams reflective of real-world working experiences
• Opportunity to launch a live product in the market
• Receive mentorship and be part of a vibrant community
• Lifelong access to a global community and learning opportunities

The Product Accelerator program has two tracks: Core Track and Industry Track. In both tracks, fellows gain valuable real-world experience and learn the skills needed to succeed in various product roles. Fellows learn and apply all the stages of conceptualizing, building, and launching a product.

Core Track

• Cost: $1,999 (several payment plans available; applicants from marginalized communities may qualify for select merit and need-based scholarships)

Participants in this track learn to collaborate in a team to solve real-world problems in the product world. The problem that each team will solve comes from an idea pitched by co-fellows. The Core Track is taken via live sessions and workshops conducted by industry leaders.

This track is available online on a part-time schedule and is cohort-based. Currently, PMDojo offers three to four cohorts per year. Throughout the program, industry veterans mentor and coach fellows to make sure they stay on track with their learning.

After 10 weeks, fellows work together to launch a real product. This is unlike other programs where students create capstone projects based on theoretical case studies or other generic projects. In this case, fellows create a real product and have the opportunity to pitch and demo their product to industry leaders before showcasing it to companies during their job search.

After completing the Product Accelerator, graduates receive lifetime access to the PMDojo community, including continuous access to hiring managers.

Industry Track

• Cost: $2,500 (several payment plans available; applicants from marginalized communities may qualify for select needs-based scholarships)

The Industry Track is similar to the Core Track. The program is delivered online, follows a part-time schedule, and takes 10 weeks to complete. The main difference is that fellows taking the Industry Track are matched to a real company. Once matched, the fellow helps the company create and launch an actual product.

This is in contrast to the Core Track, where fellows work with one another to build a product from scratch and then present it to a company. The idea for the product comes from the fellows themselves, not an external company or organization.

The Industry Track gives fellows an edge by allowing them to gain practical experience in working with a team of professionals to launch a product in the market.

What Is PMDojo Lite?

PMDojo Lite is a separate program from Product Accelerator. This short program is designed for those already working in product and looking to improve their skills. It is also suitable for those with unique learning needs or who prefer self-guided learning.

This program gives learners access to more than 20 hours of on-demand workshops and bi-weekly office hours with PMDojo founder Bosky Mukherjee. Learners have access to the program for eight weeks.

PMDojo also offers hands-on corporate training for product teams and provides companies and organizations with a product talent pipeline of a skilled and diverse pool of graduates.

PMDojo Lite costs $399, but special discounts are available for those who sign up in pairs or teams.

Why Learn Product Skills at PMDojo?

1. Accessible training.

As mentioned, PMDojo promotes accessible skills training by opening its doors to any learner, regardless of background. That said, you must prepare yourself for the Product Accelerator program’s selective application process. This process ensures that accepted fellows fit the program and its objectives well.

2. Learn from and with a diverse team.

Cohorts at PMDojo typically comprise professionals from various backgrounds. One cohort, for instance, might be made up of a current product manager, a UX designer, a former software engineer, and a doctor, among others. Fellows collaborate and work closely together in a cross-functional team.

Thanks to the diverse backgrounds of participants, each fellow can contribute their own unique insights and learnings to the group, resulting in a rich learning experience for everyone.

3. Receive support from industry veterans.

Mentors at PMDojo are carefully selected and go through a separate application process. Current mentors work in top tech companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Cisco. This gives them tons of valuable insight that fellows can leverage when building their careers.

4. Build practical experience.

PMDojo draws a sharp focus on providing its fellows with real-world experience. Instead of just learning through theories and frameworks, Product Accelerator allows fellows to collaborate with team members to create a real product.

5. Impressive graduate outcomes.

According to PMDojo, 90 percent of fellows have transitioned into product roles. This figure includes fellows who are actively interviewing for product roles. The school has a high satisfaction rate among its fellows, with 98 percent saying they are more confident in navigating their careers after attending PMDojo. Alumni work in top tech companies such as LinkedIn, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, On Deck, Rise, and Visa.

Jumpstart Your Product Career with PMDojo

PMDojo offers a valuable learning experience to everyone interested in taking the leap into product roles. The program also helps those already working in product gain deeper insights into the field and industry.

PMDojo’s mission is to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in tech by making tech education more accessible and affordable for all. Its Product Accelerator program caters to diverse fellows who gain real-world experience while receiving guidance and coaching from expert mentors. Fellows and graduates become part of a supportive community setting that also helps them build a meaningful product career.

Ready to jumpstart your product career? Enroll in PMDojo’s Product Accelerator program today. If you’re still on the fence, see what alumni have to say about PMDojo here.