Is product manager a better exit than strategy & operations role?

Hi there, 

To be honest, it's a bit like comparing apples and pairs. Instead of looking at prestige, I'd rather do an introspection exercise and understand what are your goals over the medium and long run and take it from there. Even if one if paid slightly more than the other or it has marginally more prestige, it will fade out in time and what will be left is your personal satisfaction with the role. So better clear that out first :)

That's being said, product manager / owner is a more fashionable title these days, so I guess that would be preferred. 

The roles are so different that a comparison does not really make sense. Also because there aren't many “strategy & operations” roles. There are strategy roles and there are operations roles, most of the time you don't have both at the same time.

Regarding product manager roles - yes, they are more valued in the tech industry, but it is usually the other way around in other industries.

So at the end this is down to your strenghts and what you enjoy doing, rather than what pays more and has more prestige. Even the questions about the lifestyle and career growth depend a lot on the specific company.
 

Hi,

I am sorry but you are looking at this the wrong way.

A career/role is good exit option if it aligns with your skills/experience, career aspirations, values and risk profile. Once there is a match or FIT, success is inevitable.

Following this, you consider compensation and other attributes to ensure you getting what your are worth. Not the other way around please.

Regarding product mgr vs S&O, I hope you know there are two different career tracks and really cant be compared. Please feel free to post details of current profile for a better advice.

Have a look at this article for plenty of tips & guidance: https://www.preplounge.com/en/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me

Hi!

Very hard to provide an objective perspective on the question.

I'd focus more on your skills, ambitions, and passions than on the “better option”.

Good luck,

Anto

Hi there,

Honestly, there's no real way to answer this (they're just different!).

Furthermore, this isn't the best way to think about things - try to avoid making career decisions purely in terms of prestige and compensation.

Rather, think about what you want to do long-term and what you enjoy doing. Then, find the right fit for you!

• Prestige: PMs seem to be more in vogue these days thanks to the rise of technology companies in the last decade.
• Career growth: Companies that have PMs, also have senior PMs, and then it gets somewhat fuzzy. For companies like Amazon, there is a very big internal marketplace and that allows people to snuggle into different positions and grow. S&O role on the other hand will have a more linear and reliable career growth.
• WLB: Can't say which one is worse or better. I would take my bets on PMs being worse off since you are responsible for end-to-end product lifecycle.
• Compensation: Can't say again - no specific trends observed.

However, based on your question I sense that you should first re-evaluate what are your 5-10 year goals and then choose the next role accordingly.

I will  give a straight answer based on my observations working in Amazon. In short it depends on your criteria:

Pay: PMs in general make more than strategy (tech bands pay better than their level-equivalents in non-tech bands)

Prestige: Yes, tech roles have greater ‘prestige’ in tech orgs like FAANG in general, and they are seen as ‘product owners’, i.e., the folks who actually make resourcing and roadmap decisions. Strategy and Ops type roles typically support with insights.

Exits: Both are good if the company name is good, but PMs in general enjoy an even higher transferrability of skillsets to similar roles in other companies (there will never be a shortage of PM openings)

Work: This is where it really depends on your skillset and preferences. Not worth comparing as it's night and day. If you are not a technical thinker (i.e., coding knowledge, appreciation for front/back-end discussions) - then you would not appreciate PM work.

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