‘Problems Worth Solving’: How Kellogg Equips MBAs For The Diverse Demands Of Product Management

‘THERE’S A BIGGER WORLD THAN JUST SILICON VALLEY’

Second-year MBA student Aniket Saoji also pursued a PM internship. His stint was at Google Health, where he worked on a new product that uses AI and machine learning to gain insights from health data.

Born and raised in California, he grew up with big tech right in his backyard. Prior to Kellogg, he worked as a software engineer and PM at Workday Inc. But he realized that the higher he climbed in his PM career, the more stakeholders he had to deal with, such as sales, marketing, and finance folks. “While I could get exposure to a lot of those different roles by staying at Workday, I thought I could get a more holistic business exposure at business school,” he explains.

“The network here is incredible,” he continues. “You’re dealing with kind, ambitious, incredible leaders across a ton of different industries and geographies. It opened my eyes to see that there’s a bigger world than just Silicon Valley.”

His biggest takeaway from his internship was realizing the importance of soft skills as a PM. Since the role requires leading and translating a vision to a variety of folks, leaning on these skills is key. “You need a baseline of hard skills,” he says. “But I think soft skills are important — maybe even more so than hard skills at times — because you’re collaborating with so many different people. And I think that’s something that Kellogg really emphasizes.”

‘YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE ONE SPECIFIC TYPE OF PERSON TO BE A GOOD PM’

Through their internships, both Rosanwo and Saoji realized how diverse the PM role can be — especially depending on what stage in the life cycle the product is in. “You don’t have to be one specific type of person to be a good PM,” says Rosanwo.

Plus, they both believe that in order to succeed as PMs, people need to be natural problem solvers and able to handle ambiguity. “People need to be able to figure out problems and solutions through an iterative process of divergent and convergent thinking,” continues Rosanwo. “Some people are really good at that, while others are better at the growth stage, refinement, and connecting with consumers to figure out what the next iteration of a product should be. As a PM, you have to be able to determine what you’re prioritizing.”

“On top of dealing with a problem, you’re convincing other people what the right path forward is,” adds Saoji.

AT KELLOGG, PREPARING SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT MANAGERS

Both students feel that Kellogg’s Career Management Center (CMC) recruiting process helped them to land a PM role with confidence. They each were able to speak with Kellogg alumni and take part in panels and networking calls between Kellogg and their company of choice.

Aside from the formal CMC recruitment, Kellogg’s curriculum also helped them to transition into PM. “Most classes have some element of group work,” says Rosanwo. “Learning to interact and work well with people from around the globe is an important skill set.”

She says that most of Kellogg’s learning is experiential, which builds practical skills for the working world. “There are a lot of opportunities at Kellogg for you to actually get hands-on work experience in real time, or do in-quarter internships where you can easily transfer over the same learnings,” she continues. “The access to resources to develop your professional toolkit are very accessible.”

‘THERE ARE SO MANY PROBLEMS WORTH SOLVING’

While both students are keeping their career options open following graduation, their internships equipped them with skills that they’ll carry forward — wherever the future leads them. They’re approaching their second years ready to garner even more skills to make them a successful leader, in tech and beyond.

Saoji recommends that students curious about PM figure out what problems they like to solve, and how they want to spend their energy. “PM is a cool space because there are so many products and problems worth solving,” he says. “Business school is an incredible place to explore these problems. From there, things will naturally fall into place.”

Rosanwo advises that students get involved in as many pockets of Kellogg as possible, and to continually push themselves out of their comfort zones. “Don’t let the fear of this big industry keep you nervous,” she says. “Kellogg is a great place with great people who are willing to support you as you navigate if you want to be in this field.”

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