Is PM really for me?
I’ve been having second thoughts recently after my latest switch.
Background- I did my BE in a non CS field and worked for a bit in a core engineering field. I did my MBA in Marketing post that from a Top 20 BSchool and landed a PM role in a bank. Have made 2 switches in the last 2 years and am an APM at a fintech now. (Went from PM to APM to get an actual PM role and better pay)
Once I actually got a core PM profile, I started feeling quite anxious. I’ve been able to comprehend things and understand stuff quickly but the amount of responsibility, autonomy and stakeholder management that comes with it drains me. I anyway have low confidence and anxiety which gets amplified by some random bug or critical tasks or some stakeholder alignment.
Conceptually I’m able to grasp things quickly but I get very intimidated by actually working and I don’t even know what’s wrong with me. Makes me wonder if I actually enjoy being a PM or not. It’s been 2 years being a PM and idk if I can transition to anything else now. Idek what to transition to. Feeling very lost and dejected.
Any advice will be welcome.
One interview, 1000+ job opportunities
Take a 10-min AI interview to qualify for numerous real jobs auto-matched to your profile 🔑
It’s okay to feel this way—PM roles demand heavy emotional labor. Before quitting, try: Skill Pivot: Leverage your PM experience to transition into adjacent roles like: Product Marketing (uses your MBA + fintech exposure) Business Analytics (build on SQL/Python + stakeholder skills) Therapy/Career Coaching: Address anxiety professionally—many high-performing PMs do this. Hybrid Roles: Explore ‘Technical PM’ or ‘Growth PM’—less chaos, more focus.
Join our ‘PM Career Crossroads’ group to discuss options with others who’ve pivoted: https://chat.whatsapp.com/B6weknl7133BQXjPva0pgB
Your MBA + engineering background is rare—don’t undervalue it. Transitioning is easier than you think.
I wish these fucking ChatGPT replies would get banned forever.
Note: For those of you ChatGPT gurus, the "—" is a dead giveaway. Ask your AI assistant to replace the "—" with "-" so it looks less like AI slop.
"Therapy/Career Coaching" lmao.