
Ask HN: Career Advice on Engineering Manager vs. Product Manager - nirali35
My background has been in Software Engineering (California, Fortune 500). And now I am thinking of moving into either Engineering Management or Product Management. I already have an offer to be an Engineering Manager. I am open to MBA for the Product Manager role.<p>I have always wanted to move into either EM or PM role. Based on my experience, I think I would enjoy both of those roles equally. I want to learn more in EM &#x2F; PM role and then aspire to be at VP&#x2F;Director position in 5-7 years.<p>1. Does EM or PM have a higher likelihood of getting to a Director &#x2F; VP level position?<p>2. Is an MBA a good investment for either role in the long-term (should be able to get into the top 10 MBA school)? Especially, given I already have a very strong technical background and have business certification from Stanford.<p>3. Overall, what path should I follow (Engineering Manager or Product Manager)?<p>Thank you so much for reading and helping!
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hkarthik
These are both very different roles, so I'd take a step back and think about
three things:

1\. What excites you (Desire)

2\. What you're good at (Talent)

3\. What roles are available (Opportunity)

The right approach is target two out of the three, and if your goal is to
climb the career ladder to a VP, it's best to focus on #2 and #3.

But you may find that once you are on this path (or even achieve it), your
lack of desire can be a pretty limiting factor. So for many people, they are
happiest if they focus on #1 and #3. It will be a longer, harder road before
you achieve what most people would call a successful career. But you may end
up more satisfied in the long run.

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ambivalents
You do not need an MBA to be a PM. Unless you expect other serious ROI on it
(which is plausible), I would save yourself the time and money.

I moved from EM to a PM role. Did this at a startup where I expressed
interest/aptitude in product, and they let me transition over. I recently
moved on to another startup where I was hired as a PM.

It basically came down to showing interest and effort, taking on product type
tasks even without the title or permission, and forming relationships with
decision makers.

Answer to #3 highly depends on what you want your days to look like and what
you want to achieve. Both roles require you to talk to a lot of people, cross-
functionally. PM you'll likely have more say in the business strategy,
direction, and more interaction with other disciplines (e.g. design is just as
important as eng to a PM). EM's will require more people-management, like
1:1s, mentorship. Expect to be your team's leader, therapist, and professional
unblocker, even if that means running to the office supply store to get them
another whiteboard.

If I could reduce it to its simplest terms, as a PM you will have more impact
on the product (duh), and as an EM you will have more impact on the people on
your team.

Both seem equally likely to lead to VP roles - to me that will come more down
to your reputation and relationships than your specific job title.

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badpun
Engineering manager is someone who has a head count and is responsible for
managing it (hiring, firing, giving feedback, promoting, assigning to teams,
resolving dramas etc.), while Product Manager is often a glorified analyst
(depends on the relationship with the business). Given that, for managers,
headcount is a way of assessing one's respectability, I'd say that EM has a
higher change of going further up the ladder.

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this2shallPass
An MBA (full or part time) would take years and it won't be cheap. You would
grow your network and learn some things, and it would open up some PM
opportunities.

Both seem about equally likely to lead to Director / VP level positions if you
excel. Maybe EM slightly more, but it's similar. You can start one now, the
other takes more interviewing or possibly an MBA.

Day to day they will be kind of different. Do you want to worry about how to
manage a team of engineers well, help with their professional and personal
development, and get them the resources they need? Or help your company figure
out what to build, for whom, figure out if that's working, etc? Both require
operating well cross functionally, product especially.

If you care equally, I'd do engineering management now. Less resistance, and
you can always go into product and / or get an MBA later.

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JSeymourATL
> Is an MBA a good investment for either role in the long-term...

There are a variety of ways to to calculate ROI on an MBA. Naturally, Big Ed
wants you to believe its a smart play.

Assuming you're reasonably autodidact, Josh Kaufman has roadmap for hacking
your own MBA Education > [https://personalmba.com/](https://personalmba.com/)

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hkiely
In my opinion, product management roles are extremely difficult to land. I’m
not sure that an MBA would provide the necessary skills. However, it might
provide additional connections.

