From Corporate Banking to Innovative Startup: How I Pivoted My Career To Stay Relevant in a New Country
Alice Ruiz Pereda
UX Designer at Mikata Health
Product Management Program
Become a product manager
in under 6 months
Learn flexibly online
without having to quit your job
Work with expert mentors
and build your portfolio
Get a free
Product Management short course
Get a free
Product Management short course
Curious about this program?
Contact us to find out if it’s right for you
“How would you like to get in touch?”
“I’m here to help you become a product manager”
Alana, Senior Program Advisor
Curious about this program?
Contact us to find out if it’s right for you
“How would you like to get in touch?”
“I’m here to help you become a product manager”
Alana, Senior Program Advisor
Our graduates now have tech jobs all over the world
Overview
Get in touch with usThe Product Management Program
Your launchpad into a career in product
Gain a rigorous education in conducting research, building documentation and roadmaps, prototyping, managing teams, and working with AI—all with lifetime curriculum access
Build the technical skillset of every great product manager,, adopting tools for researching, roadmapping, wireframing, and people managing using Miro, Figma, Notion, and more
Work with a team of active industry experts offering 1:1 mentorship on every assignment and project review, including a capstone project you’ll use to conquer your local job market
Earn real-world work experience with a stand-out portfolio and the chance to gain hands-on apprenticeship training with our partners: TechFleet, Democracylab & Digital Product School
Launch into the world of product and land the role you want with 1:1 career specialist guidance to build a competitive application package and job search strategy, all on our Career Support Center
Starting every two weeks
Learn online 30–40 hours/week for 3 months or 15–20 hours/week for up to 6 months
Top-quality mentorship
Our product management mentors are seasoned industry experts with a 4.94/5 rating
Support from start to finish
Enjoy the Job Preparation Course with career coaching included
What makes product management the right career?
Execution is at the heart of product management
Product managers are the engines behind tech development, developing a strategy and a vision for the product or service, and coordinating the implementation of that vision. They combine the hard skills of roadmapping and presentation with the soft skills of leadership and collaboration.
Product managers are a permanent staple of tech
Despite AI’s arrival, product management positions continue to surge.
According to the job site Indeed, the average product manager salary is nearly double the U.S. national average, meaning there’s not only demand, but also plenty of companies prepared to compensate.
Work-life balance is baked in
Working remotely or hybrid is a top benefit of working in tech. Product management offers a career that is creative, flexible, and yes, cost-saving. Graduates go on to earn more, work on rewarding projects that solve real problems—and enjoy more time for loved ones and hobbies at home.
What makes CareerFoundry the right school?
We’re the proven path to professional success
Since 2013 we’ve helped 7000+ career changers move from diverse backgrounds like teaching, taxi driving, or opera singing to tech professionals. Our model of industry-driven curriculum, flexibly-paced learning, and expert mentorship ensure graduates land careers they love.
Learn on your schedule, backed by our Job Guarantee
Study flexibly by choosing your own timeline. Immerse yourself in the curriculum, and build your portfolio around your other commitments. Work with your advisor on job coaching and land your first role within six months of graduation or your money back—that’s the Job Guarantee.
Our graduates stand out with cutting-edge skill sets
We’re constantly evolving our curriculum to be industry relevant. Including projects on the pulse of market trends and the role of AI in your new career. Our curriculum team works closely with industry experts to ensure success—and our 90% graduate placement rate reflects that.
Product Management Program Curriculum
A rigorous and industry-relevant education built with beginners and upskillers in mind
Skills-focused
Every aspect of the curriculum is designed for you to cultivate the most in-demand skills. From hard skills like research, documentation, and low-fidelity prototyping, to the soft skills of stakeholder presentation and team collaboration—you’ll graduate well-rounded and job-ready.
Rigorously practical
Learn with a project-based curriculum that takes you beyond theory and into immersive tasks that will directly reflect the kind of work you’ll do on the job. Put everything you learn to immediate, practical use through hands-on projects you’ll build your extensive portfolio around.
Expert-written
Our instructional designers and editors work with skilled subject matter experts to write and continually update learning materials to teach the most cutting-edge content. Through mentorship and demonstrable project work, you’ll have the knowledge and skills needed to get hired.
Curriculum overview
Part-time
Flexible
Full-time
Intro to Product Management
approx.
1 month
1 month
Product Management Immersion
approx.
5.5 months
5.5 months
Intro to Product Management
approx.
0.5 - 1 month
0.5 - 1 month
Product Management Immersion
approx.
3.5 - 5.5 months
3.5 - 5.5 months
Intro to Product Management
approx.
0.5 months
0.5 months
Product Management Immersion
approx.
3.5 months
3.5 months
Completion times are approximations based on the progress of our current students and graduates
Intro to Product Management
Product Management Immersion
Dive into the world of product management while gaining hands-on experience identifying, managing, and implementing improvements to your product.
1.1 The Role of the Product Manager
Learn about the origins, relevance, and responsibilities of a product manager while researching and proposing ways to improve a product.
1.2 Introduction to the Product Requirements Document
Define and compile your Product Requirements Document (PRD), while also explaining the difference between Objective Key Results (OKRs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
1.3 Agile: Introduction to Scrum & Kanban
Learn about Agile techniques, Scrum meetings, and applying methodologies to a project.
1.4 User & Market Research
Learn about quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and create survey and interview questions to best conduct user research.
1.5 Backlog Prioritization
Discover how to define prioritization frameworks and apply a prioritization method to your own list of feature requests.
1.6 Design, Prototypes & MVPs
Differentiate between low- and high-fidelity design, types of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and develop an early wireframe using a wireframing tool.
1.7 Team Alignment
Learn to manage and build trust among teams of stakeholders, and present your product improvement ideas to your company’s Chief Product Officer (CPO).
Immerse yourself into the mindset, processes, and tools that product managers use every day. In this course, you’ll complete a total of four Achievements, consisting of several tasks each.
Achievement 1
Achievement 2
Achievement 3
Achievement 4
Understand Your Product & Align the Team
Dive into the product development process by compiling the first version of a Product Requirements Document (PRD)—aligning team members and stakeholders on shared goals.
Understanding Company Vision
Understanding Your Stakeholders & Decision Makers
Understanding Your Product
Creating Product Principles
Aligning Project Timelines & Budgets
Creating a Product Roadmap
Initiate Research & Define Solutions
Navigate, organize, and conduct user and market research. Learn to carry out ideation and solution definition before analyzing, articulating, and synthesizing the information you’ve gathered in the form of product solutions.
Conducting Valuable Research
Organizing Research & Data
Conducting Effective Analysis
Articulating Information
Generating & Prioritizing Ideas
Defining Product Solutions
Validate & Refine the Idea
Create prototypes, Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and a proof of concept as needed. Finish compiling your Product Requirements Document (PRD) and get ready for development.
Defining the Product Manager’s Role During Product Validation
Prototyping & Testing
Designing Iterations & User Feedback
Developing Minimum Viable Products & Proof of Concept
Finalizing Your Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Preparing for Development
Launch & Iterate
Learn how to manage stakeholders and teams during launch, define success metrics, collect data, and review your product metrics and customer feedback.
Managing Effectively During Development
Capturing Product Metrics
Aligning Stakeholders & Teams
Preparing for Product Launch
Completing Post-Launch Activities
Strategizing for Product & Self
Intro to Product Management
Dive into the world of product management while gaining hands-on experience identifying, managing, and implementing improvements to your product.
1.1 The Role of the Product Manager
1.2 Introduction to the Product Requirements Document
1.3 Agile: Introduction to Scrum & Kanban
1.4 User & Market Research
1.5 Backlog Prioritization
1.6 Design, Prototypes & MVPs
1.7 Team Alignment
Product Management Immersion
Immerse yourself into the mindset, processes, and tools that product managers use every day. In this course, you’ll complete a total of four Achievements, consisting of several tasks each.
Understand Your Product & Align the Team
Dive into the product development process by compiling the first version of a Product Requirements Document (PRD)—aligning team members and stakeholders on shared goals.
-
Understanding Company Vision
-
Understanding Your Stakeholders & Decision Makers
-
Understanding Your Product
-
Creating Product Principles
-
Aligning Project Timelines & Budgets
-
Creating a Product Roadmap
Initiate Research & Define Solutions
Navigate, organize, and conduct user and market research. Learn to carry out ideation and solution definition before analyzing, articulating, and synthesizing the information you’ve gathered in the form of product solutions.
-
Conducting Valuable Research
-
Organizing Research & Data
-
Conducting Effective Analysis
-
Articulating Information
-
Generating & Prioritizing Ideas
-
Defining Product Solutions
Validate & Refine the Idea
Create prototypes, Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and a proof of concept as needed. Finish compiling your Product Requirements Document (PRD) and get ready for development.
-
Defining the Product Manager’s Role During Product Validation
-
Prototyping & Testing
-
Designing Iterations & User Feedback
-
Developing Minimum Viable Products & Proof of Concept
-
Finalizing Your Product Requirements Document (PRD)
-
Preparing for Development
Launch & Iterate
Learn how to manage stakeholders and teams during launch, define success metrics, collect data, and review your product metrics and customer feedback.
-
Managing Effectively During Development
-
Capturing Product Metrics
-
Aligning Stakeholders & Teams
-
Preparing for Product Launch
-
Completing Post-Launch Activities
-
Strategizing for Product & Self
The Future of Product Management and AI
It’s no secret that the tech industry evolves quickly. Product managers—like all professionals—need to stay up-to-date with automation, AI, and relevant new tooling. At CareerFoundry, it’s our job to ensure you’re a top hire with industry-relevant experience.
Not only are we expanding our curriculum to help you supercharge your career and explore the power of AI—but we’re also offering regular, live events hosted by expert mentors on utilizing automation to maximize productivity. This way our graduates stay one step ahead of the competition.
Create head-turning work with industry-standard tools
A pillar of your product education is, of course, tooling. Attend free workshop events and become a CareerFoundry student to gain free trials and exclusive discounts. Whether immersed as a student, or still researching product management, prepare to explore industry staples: Figma, Powerpoint, Notion, Miro, Slack, Confluence, and more.
Student perks
Get exclusive hands-on work experience
- ✓ Gain real-world product experience and apply for one of our partner apprenticeships
- ✓ Build a portfolio based on real-world projects, including an optional bonus project
- ✓ Forge a stand-out applicant profile built on portfolio work, end-to-end capstone projects, industry exposure, and demonstrable expertise you can point top employers to
- ✓ Build your soft skills on external work experience placements and partner with other product managers, marketers, engineers, data scientists, and developers
The Tech Fleet apprenticeship exceeded all my expectations! CareerFoundry’s education really complements the practical experience, where you work in cross-functional teams and with real clients.
Attend your first product management event
Join free events and skills workshops to explore product management with industry professionals! Bring questions to the Q&A, gain insider knowledge, and take the first step in your future career.
Join free, online events with leading product managers. Bring your questions for our experts!
Success Stories
Our students go on to launch challenging new careers in the tech industry
From Print Publishing to Digital Design: How I Retrained To Stay Relevant in a Changing Industry
Gaelle Monin, Graduate
UX/UI Designer at Pixel Fridge
Read story
Data for Social Good: Why I Chose To Learn Data Analytics (and How the Edie Windsor Scholarship Made It Possible)
Brittany Anderson-Freese, Graduate
Program Manager at Signature Health
Read story
From Community Manager to Software Developer: How I Found My Niche in Web Development
Tanimara Santos, Graduate
Software Developer at onepoint
Read story
From Sales Executive to UX Designer at the BBC: How I Landed My First Job in the Industry
Sara Lowry, Graduate
Junior UX Designer at BBC iPlayer
Read story
From Barista to Data Analyst: How I Transformed My Career In Less Than 6 Months
Elizabeth Decker, Graduate
Data Analyst at JLMI
Read story
From Tech Support To Programming: How I Finally Turned My Lifelong Passion Into A Career
Alexandre Ouellette, Graduate
Web Developer at Wicket Inc.
Read story
Portfolio projects
Our graduates now work at...
Product Management Program admission criteria
What you need:
The motivation to transform your career
Even though you can study flexibly, the program requires some commitment, as it takes a minimum of 15–20 hours per week to complete in 6 months.
An interest in product management
If you're already reading books and blog posts about different types of product management, that's a great start. If you are unsure if product management is really for you, here are some great ways to explore:
- Take our free product management short course
- Get a free consultation with one of our program advisors who will give you personal feedback on which direction to go based on your interests and goals
Additionally, you'll need:
Written and spoken English skills at a B2 level or higher
A computer (macOS, Windows, or Linux) with a webcam, microphone, and an internet connection
What you don’t need:
A background in product management or tech
This program is designed to take you from beginner to job-ready—regardless of your background. And now more than ever, employers see boot camp graduates as excellent job candidates. A 2021 study by Career Karma found that companies as respected as Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are some of the largest employers of boot camp graduates. The study also revealed that in 2020 those same companies hired up to 120% more boot camps graduates than they did the year prior!
Unlimited free time
You can study part-time at 15–-20 hours per week to finish the program within 6 months, or complete the program in as little as 4 months by studying up to 30–-40 hours per week.
To learn all on your own
You can enjoy the flexibility of online learning with the accountability and one-on-one attention traditionally associated with brick-and-mortar institutions. Much like a college professor might inspire you to pursue a career in a certain field, your mentor, tutor, career specialist, and student advisor will keep you motivated and on track.
Price and payment options
Next start dates:
Pay upfront
Get 5% off your tuition when you make a one-time, upfront payment.
upfront, then for months
Pay monthly
Pay today to secure your place, and then per month for months.
€0
Only available for residents in Germany
Bildungsgutschein
Talk to your local job center to find out if you're eligible. You can download our application guide for step-by-step instructions.
Pay upfront
Get 5% off your tuition when you make a one-time, upfront payment.
upfront, then for months
Pay monthly
Pay today to secure your place, and then per month for months.
€0
Only available for residents in Germany
Bildungsgutschein
Talk to your local job center to find out if you're eligible. You can download our application guide for step-by-step instructions.
Need a more flexible payment plan?
We can set up a custom payment plan that better suits your needs. Book a call with a program advisor to learn more.
Talk to your program advisor
FAQ
1. Is becoming a product manager a secure career choice?
In short, yes—there’s a high demand for qualified product managers. According to the most recent World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Survey published in 2020, product management is one of the top emerging jobs.
Curious about what salary you could earn? Check out our product management salary guide.
2. What are the prerequisites and requirements for the program?
This program is designed with the absolute beginner in mind—so whether you’re brand new to product management or you’ve dabbled in it and want to formalize your knowledge and skills, this program is an excellent way to formalize your expertise and kickstart a career.
You don’t need to have experience in product management or tech to succeed in this program! Regardless of your age or background, we’ve built a learning experience that will help ensure your success—from the curriculum and hands-on exercises, to the mentorship and support you’ll receive along the way.
All you need to be successful in this program is:
- The motivation to transform your career
- An interest in product management
- Written and spoken English skills at a level B2 or higher
- A computer (macOS, Windows, or Linux) with a webcam, microphone, and an internet connection.
*Note that you will be required to invest some independent study time into familiarizing yourself with the tools you’ll use throughout the program, and learning how to use them. It is estimated that you will need to spend an additional 1-2 hours per week of extracurricular study time becoming comfortable with them.
3. Which tools and equipment will I use in the program, and what are the associated costs?
Among other tools, you’ll mainly be using the tools Figma or Omnigraffle, several Google Apps such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, Miro or Mural, Loom or QuickTime player, and Notion.
All the tools you’ll need in this program are free to use—with no additional cost to you!
4. What are the minimum system requirements?
We recommend checking the individual system requirements for Figma on their website. For the other tools, we recommend a minimum of 4 GB of RAM on your device, but 8 GB would be preferable.
5. Is the program 100% online?
Yes, the program is entirely asynchronous and online—so you can study when and wherever you’d like so long as you can get online and stay on track for graduation.
But this doesn’t mean the learning experience is isolated or lonely! You’ll have regular contact with your mentor, tutor, student advisor, and career specialist—as well as full access to our active student community on Slack.
6. How long does the program take to complete?
The program is flexibly-paced within a 6-month duration. There are two deadlines along the way that we’ve put in place to help keep you on track for graduation.
Expect to devote a minimum of 15-20 hours per week to graduate within that maximum time frame. This is considered part-time study, and matches the default pacing of the program. If you’d like to graduate in as little as four months, you can devote 30-40 hours per week to reach that goal.
7. What’s included in the program tuition?
The Product Management Program offers you a complete career change package—including expert-authored curriculum, hands-on projects, personalized mentorship, and career coaching. Find out more here:
- How it works: From curriculum details to your career change team, and beyond—here are the details.
- Meet our mentors: Get to know who the CareerFoundry mentors are and how the dual-mentorship model works.
- Career services: Everything you need to know about our personalized career coaching, Job Preparation course, Career Support Center, alumni community, and more.
- Graduate outcomes: Here’s some of the work our graduates did in the program—and where they’re at today.
In addition to all of this, you can request read access to our course library—so you can study other corners of the tech world independently, with all the course materials included in your program tuition! You can ask your student advisor about this once you start the program.
8. Are there payment plans available?
Yes, we offer two payment options. You can save 5% of your total tuition by paying it up front. Alternatively, you can pay a set amount up front to reserve your place in the program, and the remainder in 10 monthly payments (regardless of when you graduate from the program).
Still not feasible for you? Book a call with a program advisor to see if you’re eligible for a customized payment plan.
9. Does CareerFoundry offer full or partial scholarships?
While we do offer an ongoing tuition reduction to active U.S. military personnel and veterans, as well as periodic, partial scholarships/tuition reductions, we do not offer any full scholarships or funds at this time.
If you’d like to learn more about any of these offers, please reach out to a program advisor.
10. What’s the refund policy if I change my mind?
If you’re not happy with the program in the first 14 days from the start date, you can simply cancel for a full refund.
If you are 60% or less of the way through the program duration (not including any extensions) and need to cancel for any reason, you may be eligible for a prorated refund. For more information, see our full terms and conditions.
11. Do I get a certificate at the end?
You will receive a signed CareerFoundry certificate when you complete the program. This will make it easy for you to share your new qualification on LinkedIn and with potential employers or clients.
12. Is the program accredited and what does ZFU-approved mean?
While the program is not university accredited, it does undergo a rigorous quality assurance and certification process with the ZFU (Staatliche Zentralstelle für Fernunterricht)—the state body for distance learning in Germany.
This process ensures that the program meets a high stand for an excellent and effective learning experience.
On successful completion of this certification process, the program is assigned a unique approval number (7426022) which can be checked against a public register.
13. Are there eligibility requirements for the job guarantee?
There are conditions that graduates need to meet in order to be eligible for the job guarantee. We’re transparent about these requirements because we want them to be easy for you to follow and because we know they genuinely help graduates succeed in their job search.
You’re eligible for the job guarantee when:
- You’ve successfully completed 100% of your CareerFoundry program as well as our free Job Preparation course.
- You’re applying to at least five relevant jobs a week.
- You live in a metropolitan area with a population above 200K people in any of the following countries: USA, Canada, European Union or EFTA countries, UK, Australia, or New Zealand (or you’re willing to relocate).
- And when you meet other qualifying criteria. Please read the full terms and conditions.
If you have any questions about the job guarantee or the eligibility criteria, simply book a call with a program advisor—they’re happy to help!
14. What kind of job can I get after the program?
Based on the program’s comprehensive curriculum, you’ll be ready to apply for and step into a junior product management role or mid-level product management position.
Keep in mind that many job ads for product managers ask for 2+ years of experience, but it is often part of their "wishlist" rather than a requirement.
If you have transferable skills from your previous career, it’s possible to land a more senior role. Your dedicated career specialist (during the Job Prep course) will help you understand your transferable skills and craft the right narrative to present in your job application materials.
15. What if I have a question that’s not answered here?
If you have additional questions, we’re happy to help! Just email us or book a call with a program advisor and we’ll get you the answers you need.
How would you like us to contact you?
Book a time to speak with a program advisor
Send us a message
What questions do you have about the program? We're happy to help.
Thank you!
Our program advisor will be in touch with you shortly.
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