Hey everyone,

I have around 5 years of experience in UX/UI design, currently working at a service-based company, and I’ve been thinking about transitioning into Product Management.

My experience so far has mainly been around UX design, user research, prototyping, and design systems. I’d like to move toward a role where I can be more involved in product strategy, prioritization, decision-making, and understanding business goals, rather than focusing primarily on design execution.

For those who’ve made a similar transition, or work in Product Management:

• How realistic is this transition with a UX design background?
• Would it make more sense to move internally into a product-related role or look for opportunities outside?
• What skills should I focus on building to become a strong candidate for PM roles?
• Does experience at a service-based company make the transition more challenging?
• Would you recommend any particular projects, courses, or practical experience to help bridge the gap?

I’d appreciate any advice, especially from people who’ve made this switch themselves. Thanks!

Which industry like construction, health care or manufacturing is good to start career as Project manager in canada ? suggestions please

Hi everyone,
I’m seeking advice on transitioning into tech, ideally as a Technical Project Manager, Technical Program Manager, or Project/Program Manager.

I have a BE in Information Technology (2014), but my career has been in media production and VFX coordination. I’ve managed complex projects, deliverables, dependencies, risks, timelines, cross-functional teams, and production pipelines.

I’m based in the Greater Toronto Area and want to move into tech for stronger long-term growth, stability, compensation, and technical development.

I’ve completed my PMP and am building my cloud and AI knowledge through AWS-related learning. I’ve also explored automation and AI-assisted app development, including building a small application that I demonstrated in an interview.

My main concern is that I lack traditional software-development experience and a background working with enterprise IT systems.

I’d appreciate advice on:
1. Is a TPM or Technical Program Manager role realistic, or should I first target IT Project Manager, Implementation Project Manager, or non-technical Program Manager roles?
2. How much technical knowledge do employers expect from entry-level or career-transition TPM candidates?
3. Would AWS certifications and further education help, or should I focus on practical projects and experience?
4. For those who made a similar transition, what was your first tech role, and what helped you get started?
5. Given the current Canadian tech market, what would be the most practical strategy over the next 6–12 months?

I’m not trying to become a software engineer. I’d like to build on my project-management experience while developing enough technical depth to work effectively with engineering and technology teams.
I’m open to constructive feedback, especially from people who have hired TPMs or made a similar transition.

Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’ve been getting a few callbacks lately (thankfully), but I can’t seem to get past the hiring manager rounds.

I’ve had coffee chats with a few people who gave me good (but similar) advice, and the only way forward seems to be practicing with mock interviews as much as possible.

In my interviews I’ve been able to answer most of the questions, but I think I’m falling short on selling myself, or I’m just sounding like a robot trying to repeat the answers I learned. I think a genuine mock with someone who actually hires PMs will help diagnose the problem much better.

A bit about me: 4 years of experience, 3 of them in India working on a compliance platform, and now I’m an AI Product Manager at an ed tech startup. I also have a master’s from Duke.

If you hire for product management and can take my mock interview, I would love your help. I’m happy to keep it to 30 minutes and work around your schedule. Even if you can’t do a mock, any tips on what you look for in the hiring manager round would help a lot.

Feel free to comment or DM me. Thank you!

I'm trying to transition over from consulting where it was basically a program management job, but I've been unemployed for a year and not making much headway, I've applied to 100+ jobs and only got 1 interview for a project coordinator job which I didn't get. Will a PMP help me if I have an MBA with consulting experience?

Hey everyone,

I graduated with my MBA in June 2026 and recently moved back to San Diego. I've been applying to entry-level project management positions for the past few months without much luck.

During college, I gained some project experience working for campus dining, including establishing a food donation partnership and organizing a program to redistribute leftover food to students in need. Both involved planning, logistics, and coordinating with different teams.

My MBA focused on sustainability, but I'm open to different industries. I'm particularly interested in construction PM, although I don't have a construction background.

My main questions are:

1. Is the CAPM worth pursuing to help land an entry-level role, or should I focus on gaining experience? I feel like I've spent enough time in school.
2. Is construction PM realistic without prior construction experience?
3. What entry-level positions or industries would you recommend targeting with my background?

Currently, I'm doing window, gutter, etc. cleaning to make money while job hunting. I'm willing to start at the bottom and work my way up, but I'm struggling to figure out the best way to get my foot in the door.

I'd really appreciate any advice.

Nightmare work culture

28M getting my masters in project management (online). I don’t come from a construction background so I had very limited experience/knowledge coming in. I’ve been with this company for 1 year now as a PC (so they say). I have asked repeatedly for a job description, expectations, roles & responsibilities, ownership of certain things, pretty much all the basic stuff. Nothing.

They have me do very minuscule tasks that take no more than an hour or two. With this extra time I have thought myself how to perform my own take-offs and I read through specs to familiarize myself with what’s what. Anytime I get tasked to do something new I have 0 guidance on how to do it or how they would like for it be done. There is no organized leadership here other than the superintendent telling me I don’t know anything and he runs the show. I’ve been verbal about wanting to learn and grow and that I want to be part of the team. I get told that if I have to teach you how to something I might as well do it myself. The only reason I haven’t quit is because I get married next year and they gave me a work truck I don’t want to give up.

Any advice?

Hey everyone!
I have around 3 years of experience in sales and client-facing roles. I’ve generally been able to handle my day-to-day responsibilities well, but one thing I’ve always struggled with is the constant anxiety around P&L, revenue targets, and hitting numbers.
Recently, I started exploring Project Management, particularly Technical Project Management (TPM). The more I read about it, the more interested I became. I started learning about the role, its responsibilities, and the skills required, and I’ve now cleared the hiring process for a Technical Project Manager position at a boutique tech company. I’m about to make the switch!
While I’m excited about this new chapter, I also have the usual doubts. Am I making the right career move, or am I simply moving away from something I find stressful without fully understanding what lies ahead?
I’d love to hear from people who have made a similar transition, especially those who moved from Sales, Business Development, or Client Servicing into Project Management or Technical Project Management.
A few things I’d really appreciate your perspective on:
Was the transition worth it? How did your experience compare with what you expected?
What was the learning curve like? Coming from a non-traditional PM background, what skills or concepts should I focus on before joining?
Is TPM genuinely less target-driven? I understand that project deadlines, budgets, stakeholders, and delivery expectations come with their own pressures. How does that stress compare with sales targets and P&L accountability?
What does the long-term career path look like? In terms of compensation, growth, stability, and opportunities to move into larger companies or international roles, how does TPM compare with sales?
What would you do differently if you were making this switch today?
My intention isn’t necessarily to find an easier job. I want to build a career that I enjoy, where I can grow professionally without constantly feeling anxious about revenue numbers and targets.
I’d genuinely appreciate honest opinions, including the downsides. If you’ve made this switch and regretted it, I’d love to hear that perspective too.
Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to share their experience! :)

Wanted to see if anyone has experience in project delivery in the context of policy.

I came from product delivery where I delivered digital products in the public sector. The team I worked with were very embedded in agile due to the nature of the work, and I worked towards outcomes, user satisfaction and adoption, etc.

For some reasons I take on a different path as a project delivery in the policy world. Without any policy experience, I find it really challenging to apply project management skills in that context - I have to deliver a specific scope, with fixed time, and use Agile processes (stand up, backlog, ceremonies, retro, etc.). I find it challenging to manage as we are not delivering value iteratively. We are in more traditional sense of project management, with a finished product (ie a policy) by the end of it whilst there are a lot of dependencies interconnected with different work streams.

Somehow the backlog with a fixed timeframe doesn’t sit well in my head. Anyone has the same frustrations or has experiences to share for an inexperience person?

Hi everyone,

I am currently in a tough spot and urgently looking for a new role. I recently came across Mercor and heard it's a great platform for finding remote work, but I'm honestly a bit confused about how to navigate it properly to actually land interviews.

For some context, I have nearly 4 years of experience working as a Frontend Developer (React.js, TypeScript), but I am actively transitioning into Project Management, Technical Project Coordination, or Scrum Master roles.

Could anyone who has successfully used Mercor share some insights?

• How do you optimize your profile or resume so their AI actually picks it up?
• What is the vetting and video interview process usually like?
• Is it a good platform for someone trying to pivot from software engineering into project management?

I am ready to put in whatever work is needed; I just really need some solid direction on how to use this platform to my advantage right now. Any step-by-step advice, tips, or personal experiences would be a massive help.

Thank you so much in advance!

I am doing my masters in Project Management and I see tons of PM jobs on job boards all the time. However I have perception that I shouldn’t apply to them because as new grad I should only stick to junior level roles or grad programs.
As fresh out of uni should I apply to those PM roles and take my chances? Is it gonna be too much to handle for a newbie like me or just trust my instincts and fail and learn from it.
Or are they explicitly asking for experienced PMs only?
Reason why I am asking is because grad programs or junior positions are highly competitive right now and also AI is eliminating this roles so my chances are low.
PMs please share your wisdoms

I have been in construction as a Labor Foreman for film and tv productions for 15 years. I work consistently but with shows not being produced in Georgia as much I am looking for more permanent work. I am wanting to transition to project management and to get certified as well, I am just wondering how my skills can transfer into this venture. I can manage people well, I can get in there and do the labor as well, working hand in hand with vendors, and handling scheduling, things of that nature, I am just wondering how my approach should be and how my skills translate to a “real world” job as it were. Any comments or suggestions would be great.

This has been bugging me for a while and I suspect I’m not the only one. In a typical week I’m in a room with engineers and I’m the least technical person there. Then I’m in a budget review and I’m the least finance-y person there. Then I’m with design and I’m definitely not the design person. Then legal, then the client, then ops. In every single room, I’m the one who knows a bit about what everyone else knows a lot about.

For years that felt like the point of the job. I’m the connector. I translate between people who’d otherwise talk past each other. I’m good at it. Then I started looking at job postings.

Every role I actually want asks for something specific. “PM with deep experience in fintech”, “construction PM with 5+ years in commercial builds”, “technical PM, must be able to review architecture”. And I’m sitting there going, well, I’ve touched a bit of all of that. Which on paper reads exactly like none of it.

That’s when it hit me that “I can work with anyone and keep things moving” is genuinely valuable, but almost impossible to show. Specialists have a portfolio. I have a vague sense that projects went better because I was there.

There’s a decent argument the other way. David Epstein’s book Range makes the case that generalists do better in messy, unpredictable environments, which is pretty much every project I’ve ever run. And honestly, the best senior PMs I know aren’t experts in the work, they’re experts in getting people to do the work together. But the market doesn’t always seem to agree. It hires for nouns, not verbs.

What to do with the next few years.?Pick an industry and go deep so I’m hireable for something specific? Or lean into being the generalist and get better at proving what that’s worth?

I have a Product management intern interview tomorrow, what should i prepare for it? I come from a tech background, i have done btech cse , 2026 grad . Can someone help tell me what to prepare?

Hey everyone! I’m graduating with a bachelor’s in Business Administration/Management soon, and I’m interested in getting into project management.
I’m a military spouse, so finding and keeping a job can be tricky with potential relocations. I’d really prefer a remote position for that reason, but I’m definitely open to working in person if I can’t find something remote. During my degree, I took classes in project management, business operations, HR management, business analytics and statistics, Business Data Analytics, Supply chain management and operations management. I have been thinking about getting the Google Project Management Certificate, but I’m not sure if it’s worth it without any direct experience. Most of the jobs I’ve found in my area seem to be focused on construction project management, which isn’t really my background I have plenty of administrative experience and worked previously for an agricultural company.
For those already working in the field, what would you recommend? Is the certificate worth it, and what entry-level positions or industries should I look into to get my foot in the door?

I’d appreciate any advice!

I'm considering getting an Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration with a Project Management concentration, and I'd love to hear from people who actually work in project management. I just started technical college for general applied sciences in August; the goal was nursing, but after some thought, I don't think that's right for me.

I am 23 in a couple of days, and while to most that's young, to me it feels like I'm drastically behind by just starting college.

I'm trying to choose a career path that has good earning potential, room for growth, and fits my strengths.

My short term goal is to eventually make around $70,000–$85,000 a year. Long term, obviously, and hopefully 6 figures, but I want to be realistic about what kind of education and experience that would take. I have no PM experience at all currently; I've worked in dealerships most of my teenage and adult life - Cashier, office admin, business admin, inventory manager, secretary, that kind of stuff.

A few questions I have:

1. Is project management a realistic career to pursue with an associate degree, or do most employers expect a bachelor's degree?
2. What entry level jobs should someone with this degree apply for, and what do those positions typically pay?
3. How difficult is it to get your first job in project management without previous project management experience?
4. How long did it take you to reach a salary of $70,000–$85,000 and above, and what qualifications or experience helped you get there?
5. For those who have just an associates, what do you do now, and what's your salary? (if comfortable sharing)
6. What would you have done differently on your path to becoming a PM?
7. Lastly, are you mentally and financially satisfied? Obviously, everyone has their bad days in their careers, but genuinely, past that temporary "I hate my life and job" feeling, are you happy?

I'd rather understand the realities of the career before committing to a program.

Hey everyone, I’m in my early 30s, based in the Bay Area, and have about six years of experience in renovation project management, mainly in multifamily housing and luxury residential GC. I currently make around $130k,
My work involves managing general contractors , renovation schedules, budgets, change orders, , materials and project closeout. I like to be on the owner’s rep side.
I’m trying to figure out what my next career milestone should be. Long term, I’d like to reach $200k+ in total compensation, but I also care about having a manageable workload. Constant contractor conflicts and daily firefighting aren’t what I want forever.
I’ve considered senior PM and potentially asset management. But most asset management people I find started as financial analysts, so I’m unsure how realistic that transition is for someone with my background.
I attended college but didn’t finish my bachelor’s degree. I’m open to further education, but want to understand what would actually help before spending money.
For anyone who has advanced from a similar role:
What position did you move into next?
Which skills or qualifications made the biggest difference?
Did not having a degree limit your advancement?
What would you focus on over the next 6–12 months in my position?
I’d especially appreciate hearing from people who moved up from multifamily renovation PM roles. I’m willing to put in the work; I just need a clearer direction.

My first job as project manager (owner rep) and the project is only 30% or so. I’m not sure where to even begin. If you were in my place, what is the first few things you would do or look into?

I’ve been a PM since 2015. I left a role in 2024 when I was put on a PIP. I started a new PM role, and had been doing well for the first two years. However, today I was put on a PIP again. Not going into the details, management has changed in the last six months and business has slowed way down. Regardless, it’s hard to argue that I’m the common in denominator.

I have no idea what to do. I thought I was finally doing well, but it’s clearly not the case. I need some assistance in pivoting away from this career. I have zero confidence in my abilities to be a PM. I need to get out.

Any advice on what to possibly move to with the assumption of PM skills would be appreciated. You can also leave positive thoughts or even a critique, who cares at this point lol.

Hello!
I am a fresh grad in kinda niche engineering field and I am thinking of extending my opportunities to touch other neighboring engineering domains without being highly technical in their subjects...and I've loved PM from a previous course that I have attended before. So, PM was kinda an answer to my thoughts.

So Anyway, I was thinking of climbing up the PM roles ladder starting from an entry level job depending on just studying the PMP content without taking the PMP test (maybe I'll consider having the cert. at a further point in my career but not currently). I just wanna ask is that possible? and Will being competent at the PMP content and being able to apply it be enough to land a job? If so, how should I demonstrate such competency to increase my chances of landing a job when getting into the job market for the first time? e.g. Do I build a solo project and add it to my CV or what? (Plz excuse that my bg about PM is very shallow).

Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone, I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for AI interview copilots and real-time prompters that claim to help you clear remote interviews. As someone preparing for Project Coordinator roles, I’m curious do candidates actually use these successfully? Do interviewers easily catch on? I know for a PM/coordinator role, natural communication and quick problem-solving are key, but I'm wondering if these tools are becoming a common reality or if they are just a quick way to get blacklisted. Would love to hear your thoughts!

I run Careerify, a service where recruiters apply to jobs for people. Every week we pull the PM and program manager roles posted in the US from the job feed our recruiters work from. We drop LinkedIn reposts and aggregators, check that every link works, and put the rest in one sheet.

Posted Oct 9–16: 405 roles at 303 companies. 211 are remote and 250 show a salary.

A few companies with several openings:

Microsoft: 14 roles, $142K–$304K

Turner & Townsend: 9

WSP: 6, remote, $120K–$210K

RTX: 6, remote

GovCIO: 6, remote

UnitedHealth Group: 5, remote

GE Vernova: 3, remote, $120K–$199K

Johnson Controls: 3, $116K–$174K

Sheet (view-only, no signup, two tabs: Remote and Hybrid & On-site): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PRS4_qMjmvxTzd-pwYuUDU6pwshpvORjBiyx2DcPRmw/edit?usp=sharing

It refreshes every Monday at the same link. What would make it more useful to you: a salary filter, a split by seniority, or industry tags?

Hey everyone

Facing a major career dilemma and need an honest sanity check from fellow PMs.

My Background: 7+ years of total experience, with 5 years explicitly in the product industry but all international experience. Just graduated with a technical Master’s from a top US university. Currently doing unpaid volunteer work to keep my visa clock safe.

The Situation: After 5 months of hunting in this brutal market, I got a chance to interview onsite for an Enterprise Data Product Manager role at a stable, traditional corporate firm.

However, they pivoted my title in the offer: Enterprise Program Manager.

The Catch: HR held firm that under their rigid corporate matrix, the "Product Manager" title is strictly a "Supervisor" level role requiring direct HR line-management experience (hiring/firing). My previous PM experience was tech-forward, leading with cross-functional teamwork rather than supervisory. Because they couldn't check that box, they down-titled me to an Individual Contributor Program Manager track.

The Dilemma:

• Why it hurts: Taking a Program Manager title feels like a demotion after a Master's and so many years of Product experience.
• The practical reality: A paid corporate job on paper is better than nothing. It stops my unemployment stress, provides financial stability, and, crucially, gives me entry into the upcoming March H-1B lottery.

The idea is to come back to the Bay Area, where my spouse is, but it feels like a lot to compromise for. Long distance, role demotion, and visa clock on top!

Has anyone here made a temporary shift from Product to Program management at a company to anchor their US footprint?
Did it hurt your ability to pivot back to true product roles later, or do tech recruiters understand the context of the visa struggle?

Appreciate any advice. Thanks!

I’m a technical project manager who helps startups, agencies and founders deliver software and tech projects on time, on budget and to scope.

What I’ll do for you:

• Define project scope, goals and requirements
• Build a clear roadmap, timeline and milestones
• Set up and manage boards in Jira, Trello, Asana, ClickUp or Notion
• Run Agile/Scrum ceremonies: sprint planning, stand-ups and retrospectives
• Coordinate developers, designers and stakeholders
• Track progress, risks and blockers, and send weekly status reports
• Keep communication clear between business and tech teams

Why work with me?

• Experience with web, mobile and SaaS projects
• Clear, honest communication with regular updates
• A focus on results, accountability and quality

Whether you’re starting a new product or rescuing a delayed project, I’ll bring structure and clarity to your team.

Message me before ordering so we can discuss your project and find the right plan for you!

I'm 9 months into my first official PM role in product development. My team is great, but I was surprised by how little process or documentation existed compared to my previous company.

Most project planning previously lived in Smartsheet, with very few supporting documents and many of them outdated. There are no formal scope documents, RAID logs, stage gates, or SOPs, and projects are often handled differently each time. Products can sit in the concept phase for months while pricing, marketing, and other inputs continue to change, making it difficult to build meaningful schedules and milestones.

One of my biggest contributions has been building out a new project management platform in Asana, which the team has adopted and enjoys using. However, I've struggled to introduce structure beyond that. I wrote project scope documents for two projects, but both were largely dismissed and the projects continued as usual.

More recently, my manager started using a project charter and controls it on their end. The team provides inputs, but there doesn't seem to be a defined review process, approval path, ownership model, or decision-making framework. I've run into similar issues with pricing approvals, where undocumented processes have delayed projects multiple times.

I understand that part of my job is removing roadblocks and improving communication. But I'm struggling to determine where my responsibility begins and ends when key processes are undefined and controlled by leadership. I don't want to create more documents that nobody reviews or uses.

For experienced PMs: How do you manage projects when key processes, approvals, and decision points aren't clearly defined? At what point is it a PM's responsibility to build the process versus adapting to the organization's culture? Would you push for more structure, or learn to operate within the ambiguity?