Main takeaways: How to crack the PM world and get your foot in the door. Insights and how-tos from a non-technical individual turned Product Manager. Why non-technical skills might be more important to succeed as a PM.

1. Debunking the Big Myth
About Getting Started in PM
Maria Dinca - Senior Product Manager

2. Your Product Management
Certificate Path
Certificates
Product Manager
Certification™
Senior Product Manager
Certification™
Product Leader
Certification™

3. Corporate Training
Level Up Your Team Management Skills
productschool.com

4. Free Product Management Resources
Resources
Events Courses Podcasts
Newsletters Communities eBooks and
Reports

5. Debunking the Big Myth About Getting
Started in PM
by Amazon Sr PM
productschool.com

6. Am I technical enough for this Product role

7. Maria Dinca
Senior Product Manager
A little bit about me…
1. Science educated creative.
2. Business Management graduate.
3. Technology passionate.
4. Product Management experience across
diverse products and cross functional
teams.

8. Agenda
● What is a Product Manager?
● Where do technical skills fit into the PM role?
● Where do technical skills fit into your career?
● How to build tech literacy as a PM?

9. What is a Product Manager?
A product manager (PM) is a professional role that is responsible for the
development of products for an organization. Product managers own the
product strategy behind a product (physical or digital), specify its functional
requirements, and manage feature releases. Product managers coordinate
work done by many other functions (like software engineers, data scientists,
and product designers), and are ultimately responsible for product outcomes.
Source: Wikipedia
A PM’s job is “to discover a product that is valuable, usable and feasible”
- Source: Marty Cagan, Inspired.
Tech
Business
UX
YOU!

10. What is a Product Manager?
Source: Google Trends

11. Where do technical skills fit into the PM role?
● Understanding the capability and limitations
of engineering teams to prioritise.
● Forming stronger relationships with
engineers.
● Understanding the technology stack to
know what is possible.

12. Where do technical skills fit into the PM role?
Product Manager Technical Product Manager
Background Business, Marketing Software development,
Engineering
Skills User Research, Market
Knowledge, Writing
requirements
Coding, Product Roadmap
development, API
understanding
Focus Why How
Pay Lower Pay Higher Pay
VS

13. Where do technical skills fit into the PM role?
Source: LinkedIn

14. Where do technical skills fit into your career?
● Evaluate your natural affinity to technology.
● Identify key technologies you are interested in (or ones you are NOT)!
● How do technical skills build towards your long-term goals.

15. How to build tech literacy as a PM?
Hands-on Experience
Learning SQL or the
fundamentals of Agile can
be done through online
courses on platforms like
Coursera.
If your organisation or
circumstances allow,
hands on experience in the
Product space through
side-projects can be a fast
way to learn key PM skills.
Meeting other PMs and
developing a community is
a long-term way of
upskilling and feeding your
curiosity.
Courses PM Community
Learning from someone in
a role you’re interested in
can act as a proxy for
hands-on experience.
Shadowing
Curiosity > Hard Skills

16. Takeaways
Individuals Organisations
1. Think of technical skills as part of a
whole.
2. Know your affinity to technology.
3. Stay curious.
4. Don’t be intimidated by job
descriptions!
1. Be precise with job descriptions.
2. Be clear on what is actually a
requirement.
3. Focus on potential not pedigree.
4. Don’t create unnecessary barriers.

17. Thank you!
productschool.com

18. Product School
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19. Chapter title
The quick young product manager jumps over
the lazy old project manager. The quick young
product manager jumps over the lazy old project
manager. The quick young product manager
jumps over the lazy old project manager. The
quick young product manager jumps over the
lazy old project manager.
Webinar > About me

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The quick young product manager jumps over
the lazy old project manager. The quick young
product manager jumps over the lazy old project
manager. The quick young product manager
jumps over the lazy old project manager. The
quick young product manager jumps over the
lazy old project manager.
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Product Manager

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lazy old project manager.
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manager jumps over the
lazy old project manager.
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lazy old project manager.
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30. The quick young product
manager jumps over

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33. Part-time Product Management
Training Courses
and Corporate Training
productschool.com