How Beginners Can Choose the Best Product Manager Course

In the last decade, we have had a definitive shift in the focus from making a product the right way to creating the right product. The product managers are now called mini-CEOs of the product. That’s because they use their broad knowledge base to make product decisions, manage cross-functional product teams, and achieve business objectives.

According to the Future of Product Management Report 2023, 38% of product management roles in Fortune 100 companies are occupied by product managers. Are you interested in becoming a product manager? Do you want to develop the skills and knowledge needed to excel in this dynamic and influential role? Read ahead to learn how the right product manager course for beginners can help you become an effective and successful product manager. But before that, let’s understand everything about a product manager.

Who is a Product Manager?

A product manager is a professional responsible for a product’s overall success. They work with a cross-functional team to define, develop, and execute the product vision, strategy, and roadmap. It is important to understand that product managers are only sometimes from a technical background though they can.

Ideal Career Path for a Product Manager

To become a Product Manager (PM), an aspirant needs to start their career as an associate product manager to learn the tricks of the trade and move up the career ladder. Here’s an ideal career path for aspiring product managers:

• Associate Product Manager
• Product Manager
• Senior Product Manager
• Director of Product
• Vice President of Product
• Chief Product Officer

However, only some professionals have a linear career path. Product management as a role only existed a decade back. Hence, many professionals have moved to product management after working as project managers, coders, digital marketers, and even salespersons.

Key Responsibilities of a Product Manager

• Defining the product vision and strategy
• Developing the product roadmap
• Gathering and analyzing customer feedback
• Working with engineers, designers, and other stakeholders to develop the product
• Launching and marketing the product
• Measuring the product’s success

What Skills Does One Need to Become a Successful Product Manager?

Product management is a multifaceted discipline requiring various skills and expertise. Below are the essential technical and interpersonal skills that every product manager needs to succeed.

Essential Technical Skills for Product Manager

1. Data Analysis

Thanks to data analytics tools, product managers can now collect and analyze data to make smart decisions. They don’t need math or statistical skills to make sense of the data. Moreover, these tools can make product development and management-related decisions.

For instance, when deciding between updating an old product feature or adding a new one based on customer suggestions, product managers can look at the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) to decide which one to opt for. Product managers with analytical tools need not go through the hassle of calculating and evaluating the CLV of each customer segment. They can use analytical tools to do the math and interpretation.

2. Product Development

Product managers come from various backgrounds and bring all kinds of skills to the table. But one of the non-negotiables when it comes to skills is product development. A product manager must have good conceptualization skills. That is, they need to have a deep understanding of product development methodologies and be capable of working closely with a cross-functional team of designers, engineers, and marketers.

3. Agile Methodology

Agile methodology is a set of practices and principles that emphasize collaboration, flexibility, and customer satisfaction. A product manager must be well-versed in agile methodologies like Scrum to lead teams effectively. Moreover, a deep understanding of agile methodologies can help product managers make data-driven decisions and continuously iterate and optimize product features based on user feedback and market demands.

Essential Soft Skills Every Product Manager Must Have

1. Strategic Thinking

At its simplest, strategic thinking is the ability to think ahead and develop plans for the future. It is an essential skill for product managers; every product leader should practice it. Strategic thinking helps product managers anticipate potential problems and challenges, and they should develop plans to address them.

2. Communication Skills

Product managers must communicate with internal and external stakeholders throughout the product life cycle. Therefore, communication is the key skill for a product manager. For instance, as a product manager, one needs to talk like an engineer to the product development team and like a designer to the UX team.

3. Problem-Solving

Generally, product managers start by defining the problem and work through factors like who their users are, what issues they are facing, the root of these issues, and whether they can be resolved. From there, they arrive at solutions that can address issues. It is a skill set that can be applied across domains and industries. You will excel in any field if you approach problems with patience and creativity.

ALSO READ: How to Become a Product Manager? – An Ultimate Guide

How Can a Product Manager Course for Beginners Benefit Your Career?

Product manager courses for beginners offer many benefits for someone hoping to break into the field or switch to it from a different field. Here are two ways product manager beginner courses can benefit aspirants’ careers.

Gain Practical Product Management Experience

Great domain knowledge in any role generally helps one perform well. Aspiring product leaders will acquire theoretical knowledge and practical experience by taking a product manager beginner course. These beginner courses provide them with opportunities to delve into various aspects of product management, like:

• Conducting market research
• Creating roadmaps and tracking a product’s progress
• Developing comprehensive plans to guide a product from concept to production

Upskill in Your Existing Job Role

When starting one’s first product management role, prioritizing tasks and establishing an effective routine can be hard. However, completing relevant product manager courses can provide valuable insights and ideas for prioritizing tasks and establishing an effective routine. These courses can help aspirants become product managers in a new organization.

What do the Best Beginner Product Management Courses Have in Common?

Here are some things the best beginner product management courses have in common.

1. A hands-on learning experience that can be gained by solving real-life product problems of key companies.
2. Learn proven product management and analytics concepts from top industry experts.
3. The best beginners’ product management courses have topics like designing, marketing and launching a product in their curriculum. It enhances aspirants’ knowledge and enables them to navigate their day-to-day duties effectively.
4. The best beginners’ courses are designed to benefit aspirants from technical and non-technical backgrounds.

Is it Worth Investing in a Beginner’s Product Management Course?

Many wonder if a product manager beginner’s course will help them break into their first product manager role or help them earn more compensation. Finding answers to these questions helps determine the return on investment of a course.

Return on investment (ROI) is calculated as the benefits divided by the costs. A high ROI means a product management course is worth the time and effort. On the other hand, a low ROI means that the course could be better for the time and effort one would invest in it.

How would an aspirant determine the ROI of a product management course? Let’s understand how to determine the ROI of a course through an example. For instance, if a product manager enrolls in a course to earn a higher annual salary and the fees of the course is more than the average salary they would draw after completing the course, then the course isn’t a good investment.

Therefore, to determine the worth of a product manager course, aspirants need to break down the value proposition into two components: benefits and cost. Determining both will help aspirants identify the best product management course worth their time and money.

ALSO READ: Who is a Product Manager? Salary, Skills & Career

Learn Product Management With Emeritus

Emeritus’ product management courses equip aspiring product managers to build successful products that deliver value throughout the product life cycle. These courses are designed to offer learners an in-depth understanding of the product life cycle, product positioning and branding, and marketing communication. Joining these courses will enhance an aspiring product manager’s capabilities to develop and market products, handle teams, and work with customers effectively.