Product School

I first stumbled upon Product School when I attended a Lean Product & Lean UX Silicon Valley meetup. Carlos, the CEO of Product School, was one of the speakers at the session. During the informative session, he told us the first 10 people to email him... Read More will get a free resume review. Of course, I obliged and that's when my interest for the school began. I'm currently a Product Manager, but I felt there were some skill sets I was lacking and wanted to get professional instruction on. The only option at the time was General Assembly, but we're talking about a $10,000 course. Waaaaaaaaay out of my price range.

Being a natural skeptic, I did my own homework on the school by attending the info session and happy hours where I pretty much grilled the instructors and current students. All gave generally positive and real answers so I decided to give it a shot. In fact, I also learned that Carlos used to be a Lead Instructor at General Assembly.

So I gave it a shot, I won't give you full on details, but I give a high-level synopsis of what to expect. It's an 8 week course that meets on Tuesdays/Thursdays from 6:30-9pm. The first couple of classes are general overviews of what Product Management is, for those that aren't as familiar.

Then it starts ramping up. Rather than just sitting thru lectures, you're forced into group exercises that test your knowledge of the frameworks and processes you learn each week. Homework is due every week so you also have accountability to get things done. One thing I will emphasize is, the MORE you put into your homework, the MORE you'll get out of it. I mean, its not as expensive as General Assembly, but you're still paying a decent amount for it so get your moneys worth!

Later classes cover UX as well as the best tools to use to be a PM. I've been using Balsamiq this whole time for Wireframing and it wasn't until this class that I built prototypes in Invision. You'll also learn a LOT of frameworks, and you'll start to change how you think about solving problems. Rather than trying to come up with the solution to a problem off the bat, you'll learn a framework as to how to arrive at the answer naturally.I highly suggest setting up a Pinterest page and pinning all the great stuff out there.

The overall format is that each topic and exercise you go thru each week, will culminate into your Final Presentation, the representation of all the knowledge retained thru the course. You're tasked with choosing a product or feature, and presenting the whole flow on how you came about identifying the need, research, your wireframe/prototype, key metrics to validate the feature/product and the Go to Market strategy. This presentation can also be added to your portfolio and be used in future job interviews. In fact, I converted mine into a LinkedIn Pulse article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fitstar-workout-builder-product-school-final-presentation-kel-wu-1

From there, the classes focus on resume reviews, mock interviews, job search strategies, etc. They also have a community that can do company introductions with their network. I can honestly say that I've learned a lot in this class and I was VERY proud to show off my work and skills. As a bonus that have ongoing events and workshops that are free to students.

What do undergraduate/graduate programs teach you about product management? Answer: nothing.

So how does one become a product manager?

Answer: unless you’re already a PM, you have to get lucky, and break into the role with your existing company. Or alternatively,... Read More you can start your own company and learn on the fly. A pretty daunting proposition, to say the least.

Some companies are getting smarter, and grooming associate/junior PM’s early. But for the most part, there is really NO training out there on how to become a product manager. And school doesn’t prepare you for it either. Product School is trying to change the game. It’s a modern day, mini boot camp style trade school just for product managers.

As an entrepreneur, I already had a grasp of how to rapidly prototype a product, spec it out, and launch. But I wanted to take their course to see if I could fill in some knowledge gaps. It was an eye opener, to be sure; we had in-depth conversations ranging anywhere from managing Scrum teams to using PM-centric tools like Trello, Jira and Xtensio. PMing is done differently at every company, and PS’s goal is to equip you with the tools to become a solid GENERAL product manager, so you can step into any role and adapt quickly to the job’s requirements. Early on, you are forced to reflect on who you are, what you’re good at, and weaknesses that you need to shore up if you’re to become a competent PM.

While there are several mini simulations on things like data analysis and feature ideation, I got the most value out of our individual projects. For your projects, you share your project/work on the big screen with the entire class and explain/defend your thought process. And you’re forced to strip down and open yourself up to critical feedback not just from your instructor, but from your peers as well. Definitely humbling, and in a strong way, very indicative of the life of a PM.

Overall, I had a blast in the class and met some great people, whom I’ll keep in contact with for a long time. Can you learn about many PMing aspects of your own? There are certainly tons of resources out there. But if you’re thinking about making the leap into product management, forcing yourself to get into real, simulated work done in an environment with other people, stepping out of your comfort zone, and making some great connections, it’s hard to find better value than PS.

I'm a current student of Product School (Weekend - Dec 2015) in San Francisco. Only last class left.

I had a great experience learning so many concepts in a short 8 week span and for me it was an eye-opener! The course touched upon many topics right from... Read More user persona, interviews, design, A/B testing, metrics, marketing, and the entire product development cycle. And I'd like to thank Carlos for starting Product School!

Also, thanks to Stany, Bryce, Jinyoung, Beatriz (our cohort instructor), Jordan and Josh (mentors) for making it a wonderful experience.

I have listed the Pros and Cons of the course below:

Pros:

1. First things out of the door, which I liked was the flexibility in classes: most other such places generally have classes either whole day, or run classes in the evenings. Both of these options were total non-starters for me since I have a full-time job and the nature of my job is such that my evening schedule keeps changing. So for me, finding a course which has classes over the weekends was top priority.

2. Return on Investment: General Assembly charges $10,500 for a similar 8-10 week course while Product School charges $3,500 for an 8 week course. Also, as a Product School student you get a host of free online resources for deeper studies - that alone is able to offset some of the investment.

3. Faculty: So Product School has a great roster of folks teaching Product Management and our cohort was especially lucky that we were taught by four different instructors - Beatriz was our instructor, but we got a chance to interact with Carlos, Jordan D and Josh A as well. All of them have different working and teaching styles - which make you realize that all PMs are slightly different and through them, you realize what kind of a PM you would be.

4. Curriculum and Methodology: The curriculum touches upon every aspect of Product Management (it doesn't dive into Coding/Programming as this is obviously not a coding boot-camp) and the course builds up in a way that it mirrors a Product Development Lifecycle. Also, throughout the course - every student is expected to be working on a project where-in they can utilize all the concepts that they learn progressively. This really helped in actually getting in the mindset of a PM.

5. Resume and LinkedIn Updates: So this is one session, which is yet to come so I won't be able to tell from my experience. I'd love to see how mentors help in crafting a better resume which highlights the PM skills which we've learned at Product School.

Cons:

1. Like all good things, there are some cons - the first being that the course tends to drag a bit towards the end. I think there can be more concepts added so that the tempo remains constant.

2. Also, some of the group exercises can be done away with - since I felt those were pretty simple and rather we could have people put up their work-in-progress projects and seek advice and suggestions from the cohort.

I really enjoyed my experience in Product School. To make this review useful, I will not repeat what others say but will offer my unique perspective. I personally find reviews from Schaeffe A and Richard F pretty neutral.

Here are some unique/amazing... Read More aspects I love about the school
1.) It is your house of PM resources if you know how to use it. I was very lucky to be in a diverse class where there were engineers, entry level PMs, sales, marketers and people who are in business development. Each of them contributed to the class discussion with their unique work experience and make the discussions/group exercises very interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. We were also very lucky to have Hamid as our instructor. He has definitely added some tough PM love to our discussions and brought the class discussions/exercises to another level.

Besides getting to know other students, I also get to tap into the vast network of Product School's instructors. Throughout the courses, I have made connections with PMs who specialize in tech, UX, business and specific industries. One word of advice is dont expect one instructor will give you everything. Go to Product School and other PM events to meet people, and find out who have those skills or who can steer you to the right directions. This is probably the best $3500 I have spent. You pay much more in a MBA and they dont have a specialized PM curriculum or network like this.

2.) If you were a hardware engineer like me looking to break into product management, expect to pick up some software skills on the side since the course is targeted to help you to get into software based companies. I will, however, still encourage you to enroll in the course if you are in hardware. For me, the course has helped me to enhance my software skill up one notch and the hardware/software background will only help in getting a PM job in the IoT wave that is coming our way.

3.) If you are a budding entrepreneur, the course helps you become a better manager and work with your team effectively. The last thing I would add is I would like to see them expand their curriculum (or maybe a separate course) to talk more about Product/Market fit. Though this is not what an entry level PM will do, this will offer a complete picture of what product management is about.

Thank you Product School! You have been awesome!

Joining Product School to learn Product Management is the best decision I have taken for my career. Carlos, Hamid, Stany, Pratik, Mike, Bryce, Eduardo make a wonderful team and they are all extremely helpful. Hamid is an amazing teacher who is passionate... Read More about product management and enjoys teaching. The course is well structured, the small classroom size helps a lot. Like other positive reviews, there is a lot more to this course than just PM concepts. I am glad I joined Product School and I am very thankful for the help I have received.

Product School is an excellent introduction to product management for those wanting to break into the field.

The course encompasses the core functionalities of a successful PM - understanding design, marketing, A/B testing, metrics, and the product development... Read More cycle. You'll be exposed to both the higher level theory as well as practical, hands-on examples. Outside of class, you can sharpen the skills you've learned by working on your own personal project.

The class highlights exactly what it takes to become a great PM, helping you figure out what strengths and experiences you can leverage in a product position -- as well as the areas where you need the most improvement.

The value you get out of the class reflects the work you put into it. If you're willing to hustle, Product School will give you the knowledge, support, and tools you need to kick off your career in product.

Other Perks:
- A boatload of free online resources
- Unlimited access to weekly talks by experts in product, design, & the tech industry
- (Most importantly) A community of product folks focused on improving and always more than happy to share experience and provide feedback

I had a great experience here at Product School. Alan was my instructor and he provided lots of insightful knowledge on what it takes to be a great PM, Carlos, Michael, and Stany were also helpful during my time there.

Pros
- Homework was great and best... Read More of all applicable to our resume/portfolio
- Received a lot of straight forward feedback
- Helped me to improve my soft skills such as public speaking, interviewing
- In class projects revolved around real features and real companies
- I was able to receive help, feedback, or advice from Alan whenever I needed
- Extra perks were and still are helpful for me - books, onemonth courses

Cons
- I wished for some of our projects to be more in-depth. This is personal for me - I learn best by doing - I wanted more activities where I could get my hands dirty
- Maybe a bit more focus on how to approach technical issues as a PM, although not all PM's are technical - many PM positions require some technical knowledge

## Background

After over 15 years in the technology industry as a front end developer / web application engineer, I wanted to make a change — to tack to starboard and sail on a different course. I wanted to have a much more significant impact on the things... Read More I work on. I love building things on the web for a wide variety of customers, in a huge spectrum of languages. After some investigation, I decided that product management was a good direction to explore. As a product manager, I'll be able leverage my experience, passion, and talents, while learning and applying entirely new skills.

To make this course change, I investigated various options until I discovered San Francisco's Product School. I applied for their eight-week product management course. My cohort started in September and met on Saturday mornings until early November. We were taught by Teo Zanella, a senior product manager at a health care startup.

The course is well-crafted and has no expectation of specific prior experience (many people are engineers, but some had other backgrounds). The exercises proved relevant and directly applicable to product development work. In fact, after my primary project for Product School, I'm using the homework assignment templates to frame my thinking on a couple of side projects that I'm working on.

I enjoyed the course, got a lot out of it, and would recommend it to others.

### What I really enjoyed about the course:

* My instructor was open for interruptions to clarify material. These clarifications deepened my understanding of unfamiliar (for me: especially on the business/marketing side) concepts.
The project focus of the course allowed the concepts taught to soak in and be applied directly to a single goal.
* My colleagues were supportive of each other and came from diverse professional backgrounds.
* The feedback of my colleagues and instructor helped me solidify my ideas and improve my presentations.
* Mentor resume feedback proved indispensable, especially for those of us who needed to write a better PM-focused resume.

### What I think could be improved for future cohorts:

* The San Francisco location asked us to vacate the space pretty quickly after the end of the day. Future cohorts may find it helpful to have some time to chat after class in the space (or in the lunch room).
* More one-on-one time with mentors in the field would be especially valuable.

I attended the 8-week(Fall 2015) product management Weekend course in San Francisco. The course is very valuable for people looking for transition from Engineering to Product management. You need to keep up with technology, homework and articles in order... Read More to get the most out of it. Carlos is knowledgeable, very friendly and really very good in teaching(esp. Public Speaking) really did a great job giving students the confidence boost they needed into looking to become Product Managers.

I would Highly recommended especially if you don't know much about Product management, this course will cover all the basics.