We surveyed 6,223 product managers to better understand the work environment and required skills of a typical product manager. Here are the results.
How much intelligence is required as a product manager?
Low
High
Working as a product manager typically doesn’t require the use of high levels of intelligence in daily tasks.
Can I learn to become a product manager?
Intrinsic Talent
Acquired Talent
A career as a product manager typically depends predominantly on qualities you can gain through experience, with a small aspect of skills you are born with.
Is it easy to get a job as a product manager?
Easy
Hard
It’s typically difficult to find a job as a product manager.
Do product managers work full-time or part-time?
96% of product managers work in full-time roles while 4% work part-time.
Is being a product manager stressful?
Low
High
Stress is very commonplace for product managers, contributing negatively towards career satisfaction.
Is being organized important as a product manager?
Low
High
Organization is considered a very important trait for product managers, and is critical to success in the field.
How competitive is the workplace for product managers?
Low
High
Product managers tend to see lots of competition in the workplace, with desire to get ahead of co-workers being common.
Does being a product manager require frequent time pressure to complete tasks?
Low
High
Product managers will see frequent time pressure on the job, likely contributing to an occasionally stressful work environment.
Are product managers allowed to express themselves creatively?
Low
High
Product managers are afforded a certain level of ability to express themselves creatively, compared to other careers.
Do product managers have control over the direction of their work?
Low
High
Product managers have high flexibility in the direction of their work, allowing them a lot of freedom in how they accomplish their goals.
Is being a product manager physically demanding?
Low
High
Work as a product managers is rarely physically demanding, making it a suitable option for those unable to perform physically strenuous tasks.
Are product managers exposed to a wide variety of work?
Low
High
The workload of a product manager changes frequently, with their day-to-day rarely being the same.
Does being a product manager require attention to detail?
Low
High
As in many careers, attention to detail is quite helpful for product managers.
Does being a good product manager require compassion and empathy?
Low
High
Being compassionate and empathetic is considered helpful to those looking to pursue careers as product managers.