Prod Man(after MBA) vs Google
Hello Folks,
I'm currently working at Google, and I'm considering quitting for an MBA (expecting admits to IIM-A/B/C) to break into Product Management.
Honestly, I'm interested in it for industry exposure, the chance to climb the ladder quickly, and, let's be real, the fat paychecks.
I am currently not really earning at the level I should be, even at Google. Could someone with experience share some genuine insights?
Talking product sense with Ridhi
9 min AI interview5 questions
i am confident that people are going to advice you against mba here, and reason is obvious
And the obvious is?
Yes please. What is the obvious reason?
CSE+Senior SE+ MBA here. Do not go for MBA. Mic drop
what are into nowadays? planning to go back to sde? tier 1 mba? how much experience? why not mba? don't like the current role?
No i am a senior pm at an mnc saas company in India. I am liking it. But this position pays more or less same as that of a engg manager.
Majority of PMs don't have fatter pay checks compared to their Engg Counterparts. I would suggest to stay in Google, connect with a few Principal PMs, leaders and make a switch internally. In a BSchool, things can go haywire at times.
FYI You can break into Product Manager without an MBA too
Assuming you get admits to any of ABC, I'd say go for it.
With Google and a tech background on your resume, if you have good 10th 12th UG scores (8/8/8) or above, recruiters will lap you up for PM roles. It is going to be a costly affair, but the ROI will be great. With a bit of effort, you can expect a CTC of 40 lpa.
PM recruiters generally look for at least 2 years of tech related experience (not a rule of thumb though). If you fit the criteria, go for it. Such an elite MBA will also help in getting into the leadership track at big firms.
thanks a lot @HarperStern , yeah I do fit into the criteria that you've mentioned, hoping it works out then :')
Hi OP, what are the main questions in your mind as you're weighing up this decision? That might help folks responding to share perspectives accordingly.
My main concern is, leaving a job at Google, leaving behind my salary for two whole years, will it all be worth it? considering I'm the sole earning member in my family :/
Understood. From a pure ROI perspective here's how I would think about it: Opportunity cost:
- MBA fees
- 2 years salary
- Stress of supporting your family (i dont want to understate this)
(the Google brand stays with you, so not factoring it as a cost)
Opportunity upside: - MBA brand (not condoning it, but you can't ignore the impact it has on recruiters/funding if you're starting out)
- Easier shift into product management (compared to trying internally)
Other upsides (not necessarily from an ROI perspective) :
- You do learn to think about businesses more holistically (can be done by self effort, but requires a lot of motivation)
- You do get a network of batch-mates who are all likely to be doing well for the most part.
My advice to you:
- think through a little more about if you want to do an MBA. From a purely financial pov, there are much easier ways to make money.
- if you get the admit for iima, they have (or at least used to) an option to defer the admit by a year. Use that option to think this through more - explore potential internal mobility options into pm at Google if that's something that happens.
Good luck!
Go for MBA if it is from IIM A/B/C. Prod-man is not the only way from here. You will open multiple avenues for yourself with an MBA. Go with an open mind. Don't worry about ROI. You can't place a value on tier-1 college MBA for such a juvenile calculation.
thanks for your response @EdtechManiac
