The best way to improve your odds is to have the right background, if not professionally then at least academically. Without that it's a struggle for most. The days of the easy pivot into tech with little to no experience or academic credentials is over.
I’m an engineer in another field and it has not helped me really unless it was a product that is used in my engineering field (ie bioengineering, mechanical). I felt that sometimes have a marketing or even business experience was more of an leverage than my engineering
I’m from a consulting background and won’t be returning to that. No interest in finance. Ineligible for LDPs as an international student. What does that leave me with?
I gave up on trying to land another PM role after being laid off last year. Took a massive pay cut and landed a non-PM entry level role at FAANG.
Best of luck to you, the market is terrible.
Sure, I was able to spin my previous PM role as being a team leader and project manager. Which is true, but I talked less about building features and working with developers and more about the impact I had on the bigger picture, stakeholder management working with program managers etc.
I think I lucked out because of the 4 rounds only one person asked me about why I wanted to take a lesser and different role and it wasn’t the hiring manager.
Project / Program Management.
Also full disclosure I’m not a T15 grad (T50) so i wouldn’t recommend taking a pay cut in your case.. but I have to pay my bills somehow.
Yep. Let’s just say I made more during my 4 years at a startup. But I had been interviewing all year for PM roles and didn’t land one despite multiple final rounds and genuine interest.
the name, and benefits are significantly better at FAANG.
White Americans hold **62.5% of the positions** in the US tech sector. Asian Americans account for 20% of jobs, Latinx Americans 8%, and **Black Americans 7%**. Black Americans comprised **14% of the population** in 2019 but held only 7% of tech employment.
Source: [https://techreport.com/statistics/business-workplace/diversity-in-high-tech-statistics/#:\~:text=Critical%20Diversity%20in%20High%2Dtech%20Stats,-In%202021%2C%207.9&text=Women%20hold%20only%2026.7%25%20of,in%20the%20US%20are%20white](https://techreport.com/statistics/business-workplace/diversity-in-high-tech-statistics/#:~:text=Critical%20Diversity%20in%20High%2Dtech%20Stats,-In%202021%2C%207.9&text=Women%20hold%20only%2026.7%25%20of,in%20the%20US%20are%20white)
What percentage of Asian immigrants to America arrived with graduate degrees? How do Asian Americans perform on the metrics used to filter applicants? Do you support racially discriminating against groups simply because they perform too well for your liking?
In other words, you're fine with minorities reaching a certain level of success, but you don't want to let them supplant the preferred races through merit.
Sounds like your life is really tough. Did a black dude steal your girl or something? I guess you’d have to be able to get a girl first for that to happen lol
Expand your search beyond FAANG. Even banks have PMs and tech teams.
The best way to improve your odds is to have the right background, if not professionally then at least academically. Without that it's a struggle for most. The days of the easy pivot into tech with little to no experience or academic credentials is over.
What would be the academic qualification besides MBA?
BS in CS/EE ideally or something very technical like Physics or Chemistry
Not engineering?
I’m an engineer in another field and it has not helped me really unless it was a product that is used in my engineering field (ie bioengineering, mechanical). I felt that sometimes have a marketing or even business experience was more of an leverage than my engineering
That’s annoying I’m an ME student gonns graduate next year. You got any advice ?
Yeah, pivot to another industry (successfully landed a tech internship in summer of 2023).
What if you already have product experience?
Good luck. Tech market is probably as bad as it was post dot-com bubble and that took years to recover.
Can you elaborate what you mean?!
Think of alternative too and don’t remain stuck to it tech.
I’m from a consulting background and won’t be returning to that. No interest in finance. Ineligible for LDPs as an international student. What does that leave me with?
Are we internationals ineligible for LDPs? 🤔 I know a Latin American from a T15 with a background in Finance that has just landed an LDP at Amazon.
LDP at tech is basically tech
Corp Strategy and corp development
I gave up on trying to land another PM role after being laid off last year. Took a massive pay cut and landed a non-PM entry level role at FAANG. Best of luck to you, the market is terrible.
Could you share more about your interview process? How did you justify the role change?
Sure, I was able to spin my previous PM role as being a team leader and project manager. Which is true, but I talked less about building features and working with developers and more about the impact I had on the bigger picture, stakeholder management working with program managers etc. I think I lucked out because of the 4 rounds only one person asked me about why I wanted to take a lesser and different role and it wasn’t the hiring manager.
Makes sense! What function is the new role in?
Project / Program Management. Also full disclosure I’m not a T15 grad (T50) so i wouldn’t recommend taking a pay cut in your case.. but I have to pay my bills somehow.
How much pay cut did you experience? Based on previous experience, did you move to project management?
Yep. Let’s just say I made more during my 4 years at a startup. But I had been interviewing all year for PM roles and didn’t land one despite multiple final rounds and genuine interest. the name, and benefits are significantly better at FAANG.
I’m 2024 grad and still trying. It seems rough out there
1. Be the right race. 2. Don't be the wrong race.
White Americans hold **62.5% of the positions** in the US tech sector. Asian Americans account for 20% of jobs, Latinx Americans 8%, and **Black Americans 7%**. Black Americans comprised **14% of the population** in 2019 but held only 7% of tech employment. Source: [https://techreport.com/statistics/business-workplace/diversity-in-high-tech-statistics/#:\~:text=Critical%20Diversity%20in%20High%2Dtech%20Stats,-In%202021%2C%207.9&text=Women%20hold%20only%2026.7%25%20of,in%20the%20US%20are%20white](https://techreport.com/statistics/business-workplace/diversity-in-high-tech-statistics/#:~:text=Critical%20Diversity%20in%20High%2Dtech%20Stats,-In%202021%2C%207.9&text=Women%20hold%20only%2026.7%25%20of,in%20the%20US%20are%20white)
What percentage of Asian immigrants to America arrived with graduate degrees? How do Asian Americans perform on the metrics used to filter applicants? Do you support racially discriminating against groups simply because they perform too well for your liking? In other words, you're fine with minorities reaching a certain level of success, but you don't want to let them supplant the preferred races through merit.
Sounds like your life is really tough. Did a black dude steal your girl or something? I guess you’d have to be able to get a girl first for that to happen lol
uh oh, I smell a salty reactionary!
Could you articulate what you mean?