Career Tracks

Product Manager

101 What Is Product Management?

Product Management combines project management, technical knowledge, and analysis to plan and maximize the effectiveness of a product. On the job, roduct Managers strategize, plan, and manage the launch of new features. The average salary of a product manager is $95,426.

Jump to a list of all Fullstack Developer Bootcamps

What Is a Product Manager?

Product management combines marketing, development, and analysis to maximize the effectiveness of a product and, in turn, its profit. Product Managers develop the business strategies behind the products, choose its functional requirements, and manage the launch of features. Some Product Managers oversee the team that creates the product and gather feedback from users to launch improvements as well. 

Product Management is a great way to get into the tech industry if you know more about business and marketing but less about coding. You’ll only need to understand the underlying principles of what makes a product work and sell well to get started as a Product Manager. 

How to Become a Product Manager

There are several possible paths to becoming a Product Manager. Some Product Managers get their start with an MBA, others begin with a product management bootcamp, and some even learn how to launch a product through coding bootcamp. You could go the self-taught startup route and take your idea through an entire product development if you know how to manage, design, code, and market. 

You might even find a project you can own end-to-end at your current job to dip your toes into the position. Some product managers recommend keeping a journal starting with your decision to become a Product Manager. Having a record of the various projects you’ve done, tough problems you’ve solved and how you solved them, the research you’ve conducted, and cross-functional collaboration you’ve facilitated could be the ticket to a job one day. You can keep it on paper, on a blog, or as a part of your portfolio. 

Product Management Bootcamp

Product management bootcamps teach you the technical skills you need to start your career as a Product Manager as well as the leadership skills you’ll need to succeed. 

Some product management bootcamps go so far as to teach UX Design and online marketing, too. Others focus on helping you use your ideas to create a real product during bootcamp. A few of them offer certificates, too. Product management bootcamps range in length from 5-12 weeks and cost anywhere from $2,000-$14,000. 

The 9 Best Product Management Bootcamps of 2022

In 2022, there are now more than 100 product management bootcamps around the world, and we've curated a list of the Best 9 Product Management Bootcamps. Put simply, these are the product management schools we would recommend to our own family and friends. No matter how many accolades a school has, make sure you do your research: read reviews, talk to alumni, take an intro course, and ask about job outcomes data.

Becoming a Product Manager after Coding Bootcamp

Some coding bootcamp graduates have also found success as Product Managers. Technically, you don’t need to know how to code from scratch to be a Product Manager. But the ability to get into the nitty-gritty coding is a powerful skill. At tech companies, Product Managers work closely with software engineers. Understanding the fundamentals of software development makes it easier to understand Developers, Engineers, Designers, which makes you much easier and more desirable to work with. 

“As a Software Developer myself, I’m able to step into my customers’ shoes and look at how they’re experiencing problems and inefficiencies. I’m able to see what customers are asking for or complaining about,” Khaled Zaky, Product Manager and Product Management Instructor, points out that not only will your teammates benefit from your coding knowledge, your customers will, too. 

As a Software Developer, you will have the technical skills you need to build a product. You’ll need to pick up the business, analytics, and marketing skills of a Product Manager to make your product successful through sales. Some people choose to attend both coding bootcamp or UX design bootcamp and product management bootcamp to build their own product and found their own startup. 

Product Manager Jobs

Product Managers are in high demand and are an integral part of a company’s technical team. Large companies are always seeking quality Product Managers and people who have a good understanding of product development principles. 

Product Management job titles include: 

  • Product Management Internship
  • Junior Product Manager
  • Project Lead
  • Solutions Architect
  • Associate Product Manager
  • Product Owner
  • Product Director
  • Chief Product Officer (CPO)
  • Vice President of Product Management
  • Senior Vice President of Product Management
  • Director of Product Management
  • President of Product Management

A good Product Manager can rise in the ranks from intern to VP of Product in 10 years or less. Product management bootcamp graduates can expect to secure Associate Product Manager roles for their first job. 

The Product Manager Job Description

There are different types of Product Managers. The specificity of the role depends on how large the company is. At larger companies, the Product Manager will focus on a specific part of product management, like strategy, function design, features launching, or feedback implementation.

A good product manager will have strong leadership skills and work well on a team. They will have knowledge of production standards, they might oversee a budget, develop sales strategies, create training materials, and develop product plans to increase sales. They’ll need to know how to use general office programs and have a basic knowledge of the main tools used by designers and developers for developing a product. 

What Does a Product Manager Do?

The product manager will be the liaison between the client, stakeholders, and the team who develops the app, including Designers and Developers. They’ll guide the project, make decisions, manage a timeline, and analyze every step along the way. 

Here’s what Product Managers do in their own words: 

Khaled is the Director of Product Management at the Royal Bank of Canada and teaches Product Management at BrainStation. He says, “My job is to understand problems and pitch solutions based on our product portfolio.

Nataly graduated from General Assembly and now works as a Technology Product Manager at LPL Financial. According to Nataly, product managers are “responsible for understanding the problem that customers are facing and the opportunities to address those problems. I facilitate customers, stakeholders, and teams who are designing and building the product. This role involves understanding how technology teams work and leading those teams. Ultimately it’s actually about empathizing with the customer, advocating for them, prioritizing, decision making, and sticking to a timeline. Product management isn’t about knowing what to build, it’s about knowing the process of how to figure out what that is.” 

Product Manager Salaries

Product Manager Job Average Salary
Entry-level Product Manager  $65,000
Product Manager (tech industry) $95,426
Chief Product Officer (CPO) $183,000

Product Management Skills

Project Manager vs Product Manager

While the Project Manager and Product Manager roles overlap occasionally in skills like time management and leadership (and having the word manager in their title), the two roles are different. The Project Manager role compliments the Product Manager’s role by executing the plans made by the Product Manager.

The Product Manager is like the CEO of a product. They set the vision for a product that needs to be built – from a physical product to software to services. The product lifecycle starts in development and ends with launching.

The Product Manager gathers every necessary requirement and prioritizes them. They analyze and market test the product for viability. They have knowledge of everything from business and marketing to basic technology used to build the product. They keep the project organized and on track from start to finish. They update the product over time and continue to keep it marketable and useful. 

A Project Manager is someone who acts on the Product Manager’s vision. Projects are on time endeavors that are usually a part of creating the product or service. It has a definitive start and end date and defined outcomes. They make sure it is executed based on the Product Manager’s prescribed timeline and adheres to the budget. Project managers tackle functional issues while the Product Manager tackles the big, technical issues. 

Product Manager Resume

A solid Product Manager will need to know how to use product management tools in order to stay organized and build prototypes. They’ll also need to be a strong leader who is ready to say “no” when necessary. Your product manager resume should show any applicable previous experience as well as industry tools. 

Here are some product management skills and tools you’ll learn at product management bootcamp

  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP) - Defining the MVP requires framing a problem based on information gathered through customer research, finding a market fit, and performing competitive analysis. 
  • Prototyping - A prototype is a simple experimental model of a proposed solution used to validate the idea, design, or functionality of a product. As a product designer, you’ll use both software and analog tools to create prototypes. 
  • Product Testing - Product testing is also referred to as consumer or comparative testing. This process measures the properties and performance of a product to analyze whether it is ready for release and meets requirements or needs to be fixed. 
  • Product Launching - A product launch can be an existing product with an upgrade, patch, or new feature or a new product. You’ll learn successful product launching techniques at bootcamp and the tools you’ll need to do it. 
  • Product Marketing - In order to be successful financially, a product will need to be marketed. Most Product Managers will be focusing on digital marketing. Some Product Manager roles won’t deal with marketing if the company has its own marketing team. 
  • Market Analysis - Product Managers need to know how to analyze the market to decide whether a project is viable. 
  • Financial Analysis and Risk Management - How to price a product, how to fund it, and whether the product is worth the risk. 
  • Roadmapping - Roadmapping is a strategic process used to determine the next steps, resources, and a timeline to take products from ideas to reality. 
  • Design - As a Product Manager, you’ll likely be working with Designers but you may also be doing some design yourself during prototyping, marketing, and mapping. 
  • Leadership Skills - You’ll need leadership skills and all of the soft skills that leadership requires in order to be successful in this highly managerial role. Recruiters will look for team players, strong leaders, good communicators, and level headed creative thinkers for the Product Manager position. 
  • Time Management and Organization
  • Defining Customer Profiles - You’ll define target customers so that you can design a product specifically with them in mind. 
  • Story Mapping and Customer Experience - Product Managers need to know how to map out the journey the user will go through when moving through your product experience. You’ll need to keep in mind the user’s experience. 
  • Agile and Scrum Principles - These best practices include collaboration, self-organization, and cross-functionality of teams. Scrum is a framework used to implement agile development. 
  • SWOT - SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s an analysis process that helps vet your product’s viability. 
  • Jira - Jira is a platform used to track analytics.

Product Manager Interview Questions

Be prepared to talk about your background, your management skills, your goals for the future, and how you work on a team. Recruiters will want to know how you work on a team. One question you’re most likely to be asked is, “How do you say no to people?” As a manager, it’s your responsibility to be able to steer the team. Sometimes this means saying no to your teammates or to stakeholders. You might have to make decisions about the product’s timeline, financial implications, or even the choice to launch a product or not. 

You’ll also likely get questions about your background which you can spin to demonstrate transferable skills from your previous experiences. Being able to spin your background in a useful way is especially important for those changing careers from fields that do not involve business, marketing, design, or tech. Product development takes time. Your commitment to the industry and to the company you’re interviewing is important. Be ready to talk about your goals for the future, what you’re looking forward to, and maybe even how your background proves you are loyal to your previous jobs. 

FEATURED SCHOOLS

Schools may compensate Course Report for featured placement.

 

Displaying schools 1-25 of 108 in total

  1. 2110
    Reviews
    33
    Courses

    BrainStation offers full-time and part-time courses in data science, design, development, marketing, cyber security and product in New York City, Miami, Lond... Learn more about BrainStation.

    María José Ramírez

    5Student - Course: Product Management Course - Miami

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: The best opportunity ever!

    My journey at BrainStation has been a remarkable transformation. From the moment I entered, I sensed the beginning of an adventure that would shape my future. T
  2. 1481
    Reviews
    7
    Courses

    CareerFoundry is an online bootcamp that offers flexibly paced programs for career changers in web development, UX design, UI design, product design, data an... Learn more about CareerFoundry.

    Stephanie Edwards

    5Student - Course: UX Design Program - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Fantastic mentors, out of date resource links

    CareerFoundry is friendly and accessible bootcamp which is easy to complete at your own pace. Their range of mentors and tutors are all knowledgeable and friend
  3. 803
    Reviews
    53
    Courses

    Simplilearn’s Masters Programs are intensive, online bootcamps for Full Stack Web Development, Data Science and Analytics, AI and Machine Learning, Big Data ... Learn more about Simplilearn.

    Tadepalli Venkata Gangadhar

    5Student - Course: Post Graduate Program in Cloud Computing - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Professional Certification Program in Cloud Computing and Devops

    My Overall Experience was Very Good with Simplilearn for the Course i am pursuing . The way it was explained with some of the scenarios & the material, lab prac
  4. 677
    Reviews
    15
    Courses

    General Assembly is a technical education provider that teaches students the skills, career advice and networking opportunities needed to make a career chang... Learn more about General Assembly.

    M. Farhan Rais

    5Graduate - Course: 1. Data Science Bootcamp (Full Time) - Singapore

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Hollistic data science crash course

    The bootcamp is everything you need to get yourself up to speed in terms of data science competency.Being a bootcamp, there are some assumptions that you need t
  5. 626
    Reviews
    39
    Courses

    Udacity offers Nanodegrees which are online immersive full-time and part-time programs, ranging from 12-24 weeks in length for students worldwide. Nanodegree... Learn more about Udacity.

    Eslam MustafaEslam Mustafa

    5Graduate - Course: Full Stack Web Developer - Online

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: very nice program

    It's a very nice program, but also challenging 🌹There are useful references and professors who explain well, when I submit the projects I catch what I've been
  6. 399
    Reviews
    12
    Courses

    Founded in 2012, Fullstack Academy is a tech bootcamp provider that offers immersive online programs for AI & machine learning, software engineering, clo... Learn more about Fullstack Academy.

    N Viswa Sai Reddy

    5Graduate

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Good initial step to Full Stack Developer

    A Good platform for starting in IT career.I joined in the JavaScript Full Stack bootcamp,the JavaScript Full Stack Bootcamp offered by KnowledgeHut is a compreh
  7. 393
    Reviews
    2
    Courses

    Product Gym (PG) is an online technical skills platform offering a 12-week product management (PM) career coaching program and a 15-week QA (SDET) skills tra... Learn more about Product Gym.

    Karen Brenchley

    5Graduate - Course: Product Management - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Best way to get a Product Manager job

    Product Gym has everything about getting a product manager job down to a science, though you have to do the work to succeed. How to write a resume and how to in
  8. 264
    Reviews
    17
    Courses

    Interview Kickstart is a part-time, 12-15 week online interview training platform that helps software engineers nail technical interviews at FAANG (Facebook,... Learn more about Interview Kickstart.

    Kishan Patel

    5Graduate - Course: Backend Engineering Interview Course - San Jose

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: All you need to prepare for Tech Interviews

    I was committed to preparing for tech interviews as thoroughly as possible to land my next dream role. I explored a lot of different prep options before decidin
  9. 223
    Reviews
    4
    Courses

    MySkill is an Indonesian-based training provider offering online, part-time bootcamps covering topics like data science (8 weeks), product management (10 wee... Learn more about MySkill.

    Nurul alpi najam

    5Graduate - Course: Digital Marketing - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Digmar batch 13

    Good environment, expert teacher.I learn a lot of things from myskill. It's not only digital marketing, but also other soft skills that everyone needs to improv
  10. 219
    Reviews
    4
    Courses

    Product School is an online technical training provider that offers part-time product management courses. These certification courses are taught live online ... Learn more about Product School.

    Patrick Cheron

    5Student - Course: Product Manager Certificate™ - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Product Manager Certification

    Product school was a great resource in helping me with my industry transfer into product management. My instructor, Toby Martin Hughes, was very informative and
  11. 193
    Reviews
    2
    Courses

    Nuclio School is a digital training school based in Spain, and courses are held online and in-person at campuses in Barcelona and Madrid. Nuclio offers Maste... Learn more about Nuclio School.

    Juliana Amorim

    5Student - Madrid

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Master in Design UXUI: Amazing experience!

    I came to Nuclio on the recommendation of a friend, who had told me very well about the structure and practical approach of the course, as well as support in th
  12. 140
    Reviews
    0
    Courses

    Georgia Tech Boot Camps offer 24-week, part-time, or 12-week, full-time web development courses, 24-week, part-time, data science and analytics, cyber and ne... Learn more about Georgia Tech Boot Camps.

    Dewey WatkinsDewey Watkins

    5Graduate - Course: Full-Stack Flex - Part-Time - Atlanta

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: my experience with GT coding bootcamp

    Overall I had a great experience with the bootcamp. I have learned previous languages in the past. However I felt like I needed a little boost to get my career
  13. 134
    Reviews
    6
    Courses

    Constructor Academy is an education hub in management and technology skills that offers full stack coding, data science, UX/UI design and more for students, ... Learn more about Constructor Academy.

    Stephanie Sabel

    5Student - Course: Data Science (Full-Time) - Zurich

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Filled to the brim with knowledge

    Taking this bootcamp is one of the best decisions I made recently. As someone who has always enjoyed working with data but never had the proper tools, I learned
  14. 107
    Reviews
    6
    Courses

    Alterra Academy is an intensive, in-person coding bootcamp located in Malang, Indonesia. Founded in 2018, Alterra Academy’s mission is to foster and improve ... Learn more about Alterra Academy.

    Mohammad Nabiel Dwi AnandaMohammad Nabiel Dwi Ananda

    5Student - Course: Frontend Engineering Program - Malang

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: Alterra Bootcamp Terbaik!

    Dari pengalaman saya di alterra, saya mendapatkan banyak insight baru, yang belum saya dapatkan sebelumnya di kampus, dari mulai penggunaan library yang terupda
  15. 104
    Reviews
    1
    Course

    Product Faculty offers a part-time 8-week course in product management in Toronto, Canada. The course covers both basic and advanced product management conte... Learn more about Product Faculty.

    Kunal Anand

    5Graduate - Toronto

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Enlightened. Enriched. Empowered.

    Hands down, this is the best learning experience I have ever had. If you can commit to investing 8 hrs per week for 8 weeks - this course will enlighten you, en
  16. revou-logo

    RevoU

    4.94
    93
    Reviews
    4
    Courses

    RevoU is an online academy offering a 14-week, part-time Full-Stack Digital Marketing and Business Development bootcamp for motivated individuals who want to... Learn more about RevoU.

    Samuel Adi Kusumo

    5Graduate - Course: Full Stack Data Analytics - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Life Changing Learning

    I have finished my faculty program of Full Stack Data Analysis in RevoU, and what I liked the most from them is the culture they build in the learning program.
  17. 91
    Reviews
    4
    Courses

    Wild Code School is a 5-month, European training program teaching in-demand digital skills through a blended learning approach. Wild Code School was created ... Learn more about Wild Code School.

    Carlos M.

    5Student - Course: Data analysis - Lisbon

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Recommend this school.

    Highly recommend WCS. I was able to learn different skills (soft and technical) and at the end finally got a job.The curriculum is complete and will give you pl
  18. 76
    Reviews
    0
    Courses

    Interaction Design Foundation’s UX bootcamps are part-time, fully online programs with a focus on job-readiness. Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) is an i... Learn more about Interaction Design Foundation.

    Val

    5

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Get A UX Job Bootcamp - I got a job!

    I got my dream job 4 month after completing the bootcamp, and I am so happy! Now I have been working at this job for 3 months. My coworkers told me they really
  19. 70
    Reviews
    1
    Course

    The self-paced Product Manager Accelerator program takes an average of 2 months to complete, and covers topics like networking, building a tech product, crea... Learn more about Product Manager Accelerator.

    Rina Kang

    5Graduate

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: A great way to invest in yourself!

    I had a great learning experience at Brainstation. I enrolled in the Product Management course 8 weeks ago with no knowledge of Product Management and now feel
  20. 70
    Reviews
    7
    Courses

    Columbia Engineering Boot Camps offer 12-week, full-time and 24-week, part-time courses in web development, and 24-week, part-time data analytics, cybersecur... Learn more about Columbia Engineering Boot Camps.

    Nastya Potapenko

    5Graduate - Course: UX/UI Boot Camp - Part-Time - New York City

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Prepare good specialists

    I am happy that I took the UX/UI Design course at Columbia University Engineering.Before making my decision, I researched many private courses and programs at o
  21. 67
    Reviews
    10
    Courses

    JUMP by Cognixia offers 6–10 week technical training bootcamp with campuses in New Jersey, Texas, North Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, and Online. The JUMP cur... Learn more about JUMP by Cognixia.

    Alexander Daughters

    5Graduate

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Data Engineer Program

    I really enjoyed this program and I learned a lot of new information and also got to add new projects to my portfolio. I also get a shot at the AWS Practitioner
  22. co.lab-logo

    Co.Lab

    4.76
    57
    Reviews
    4
    Courses

    Co.Lab is an 8-week hands-on, team-based tech training program with individual tracks for Product Managers, Designers, and Developers. Co.Lab students are pl... Learn more about Co.Lab.

    Constance Dubose

    5Graduate - Course: Co.Lab Software Developer Bootcamp - Online

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Co.lab

    As a software developer, I've found Co.lab to be a game-changer for team collaboration. Its intuitive interface seamlessly integrates with Git, facilitating rea
  23. 55
    Reviews
    7
    Courses

    Happyer Skills offers a 15-week, full-time immersive Full Stack Web Development bootcamp and part-time bootcamps in UX Design (6 weeks), Data Science and Mac... Learn more about Happyer Skills.

    Jerry

    5Graduate - Course: UX Design - Hong Kong

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: HR Analyst

    In these 6 weeks, it is one of the most unexpected courses that I have ever had. Design thinking theory is not difficult to understand but the tricky part is ho
  24. 52
    Reviews
    1
    Course

    NeoTech Academy is an online training provider offering 25-week QA testing bootcamps covering topics like Java, Selenium, TestNG, Apache, SQL, Postman, and G... Learn more about NeoTech Academy.

    Mesut ErolMesut Erol

    5Graduate - Course: QA Testing - Online

    Verified Via GitHub

    Says: Neotech Academy is amazing...

    I got education for 6 months. I have learned a lot of skill about automation testing. Java, Selenium, Testng, Cucumber, API, SQL, Jenkins, Jira, Git, Github, Po
  25. 39
    Reviews
    4
    Courses

    Artefact School of Data is an AI and data science training provider that offers full-time, immersive data science (10 weeks), data engineering (5 weeks), dat... Learn more about Artefact School of Data.

    Xavier

    5Graduate - Course: Data analytics Bootcamp - Paris

    Verified Via LinkedIn

    Says: Highly recommended Data Science Bootcamp

    I have attend the Sept-Dec 2019 session of Vivadata bootcamp. Vivadata bootcamp is a 10 week program covering python programming, data collection, data analysis

Get our FREE Ultimate Guide to Paying for a Bootcamp

By submitting this form, you agree to receive email marketing from Course Report.

Get Matched in Minutes

Just tell us who you are and what you’re searching for, we’ll handle the rest.

Match Me