Session: Road to Product Management
In May '21, I left my job as a senior developer at Visa and took the risk to pursue a PM internship for a startup. Fast Forward to Jan '22 and I have bagged a full-time role as PM II at Microsoft.
Through the platform of the Women Tech Network Conference, I want to share the specific steps, the do's & don'ts of this journey that helped me cover the marathon's distance in a sprint.
This talk is for early PM career candidates and junior PMs looking to make the switch and lacking the required guidance.
Bio
My name is Mansi Mittal. I did my graduation from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) one of the premiers institutes of India. Started my career with Visa as an intern in my prefinal year. Worked for 3 years on Visa’s internet portal as a Sofware Developer catering to the needs of 25000+ employees. As a developer, I understood one aspect of a Product, as in how to build it? But I hoped to gain a more holistic understanding, of Why to build it in the first place, Who to build it for, and What exactly to build?
This led me to join a London-based startup as a PM intern before joining the Indian School of Business (ISB) to pursue my MBA. At the startup, I had the opportunity to build a product from 0 to 1.
After months of preparation and figuring out what does Product Management entails, I am now headed to Microsoft as their PM II post MBA.
On a personal front, I am involved with a lot of NGOs where I mentor young students and professionals, especially girls to kind of Navigate the tech world. I was also selected as a Speaker for the WomenTech network International conference 2021.
One fun fact about me is that I have studied in a total of around 10 schools in my life across 9 cities, which has really helped me adapt and respect different cultures.
The quote I live by: "You did not come this far to only come this far"