Transitioning from a Technical Role to Product Management
Question: "How should one make a move from core engineering/development or R&D to product management?"
Interest in a product management career is growing exponentially. Worldwide.
Many people, particularly technical people, seek to move to product management.
There are also plenty of suggestions on how to move to product management.
The mechanics of making this career move would include getting trained and certified in product management, reading trending books, volunteering to partake in product management tasks, and seeking an entry-level position or internship.
Some recommend getting a Master of Business Administration (MBA) academic degree as a practical step towards a product management position.
However, transitioning from a technical position to any role in product management is not about acquiring a new skill set with new responsibilities.
Still, it is mainly about somewhat of a personality change that is not easy to accomplish in a grown person.
Therefore, the move is all about a personal internal change.
You should leave your current position and move into product management roles if you feel challenged and excited by market-think (not product-think) and wish to make uncertain yet possibly rewarding business decisions that in their very nature are probabilistic and run contrary to deterministic technical decisions.