Career development of product managers

Finding a good job is to get better career development. Here are the career development paths of large, medium and small companies.
1.3.1 Large-scale companies
Large-scale companies tend to have very mature training mechanisms and promotion standards. Therefore, after entering a large company, fresh graduates have similar developments. Generally speaking, they will progress from product assistant (newcomer) to product specialist (mature), and then to senior product person (backbone). Generally, you will stay at each stage for 0.5~2 years. The specific promotion speed depends on the product line development speed, company development, personal growth speed and mentor level.
The specific requirements of the three stages are as follows:
1) Product assistant: Under the guidance of the instructor, you can complete relatively simple tasks, such as designing a small sub-function and pushing it online, or completing a clearer analysis of competing products.
2) Product Specialist: Under the premise that the instructor clearly explains the tasks, he can complete tasks with a certain degree of complexity, such as being responsible for a small version of a product and pushing it online, or completing an in-depth investigation of a certain industry.
3) Senior product people: Actively communicate strategic goals with superiors and complete complex tasks independently, such as completing the planning and design of a new product, and then leading the team to complete the project online, and need to have methodology and work experience output, which can be used for guidance Newcomers can also build influence on the team.
After becoming a senior product manager, you will face two choices: one is to take the expert route (P route), and the other is to take the management route (M route). Generally speaking, each large-scale product of a BAT-level company needs to be equipped with at least one product expert (architect) and one manager (manager) at the same time. Among them, product experts are specifically responsible for in-depth analysis and planning of products, and put more energy on the business itself; while managers need to spend more energy on personnel management, ranging from human resource allocation to small leave approval. deal with.
The promotion of the two channels is quite difficult, and their respective jobs also overlap to a large extent, so the specific choice depends on personal preference, field of expertise and organizational needs. Generally speaking, students who prefer to concentrate on business can consider taking the expert route in the future, while students who prefer to interact with people and lead everyone to complete their goals are more suitable for the management route.
1.3.2 Small and medium-
sized companies The scale of small and medium-sized companies is often relatively small, and in the process of rapid development, the training system and promotion standards are not mature enough, so there are many possibilities for the actual career development route. The following are two more typical situations .
1) Entering a relatively mature business line: Since there are already managers at the upper level, new students and new students from large companies have similar development routes. They will learn and practice under the guidance of their instructors, and they will gradually be promoted after they have laid a good foundation.
2) Entering the emerging business line: At this time, it is very likely that a management system has not yet been formed. In the case of a lack of manpower in the team, the new students are forced to take up heavy tasks and undertake the tasks of business line product planning and product design. In this case, the uncertainty is very large. If the development is smooth, the business line will flourish, and new students will naturally become managers. Naturally, they will have better promotion opportunities and enter the ranks of managers early; if you are unlucky, the business line Eventually collapsed, the new classmates will directly fall into a homeless, unsupervised situation, can only wait for someone to be included.
1.3.3 Startups
Startups are truly high-risk, high-return teams with more possibilities.
The best case is that the company grows rapidly, the IPO succeeds or is acquired by huge amounts of money, or becomes the company's senior executive or cashes in to achieve financial freedom; of course, once it fails, it means that it needs to start all over again. However, as long as you focus on professional accumulation and personal ability improvement, it is feasible to transfer to another company to directly become a product specialist or senior product manager after failure.
In summary, the current Internet industry is developing too rapidly, with many opportunities and many risks: in order to find better career development, or because of the failure of entrepreneurship, it is normal to transfer in and out of large, medium and small companies; In the same company, the life cycle of many product lines may be less than one year, and they will fall apart if they fail to develop well. However, for ordinary students, the following three points need to be noted.
1) Regardless of the team's opportunities, the basic product skills must be carefully practiced, and industry knowledge must be continuously supplemented. Only in this way can we guarantee that no matter which path we choose, we will have better development.
2) The risks and benefits of the Internet industry coexist. New students need to carefully evaluate their personal ability and risk tolerance, and choose a more appropriate entry path according to their actual situation.
3) Interest is an important factor to improve the fit between individuals and positions. If a classmate really finds an industry or position where his personal interest lies, and is interested in joining the trip, it is recommended to try bravely, I believe your love for the industry will bring you Good return.