ET Career Talks: Sameer Jindal of MG Motor India decodes product engineering vs product management career pathways

To be a successful product manager, you have to be an ‘all-rounder’ as the role requires skills that span strategy, cost analysis, leadership, and product-market-fit identification, said Jindal.

On the other hand, a product engineer needs to be a domain expert to succeed in his role, Jindal added, during his Live virtual interaction with hundreds of working professionals in a session that was moderated by Miloni Bhatt, Editor - Digital Broadcast, EconomicTimes.com.
An Economic Times initiative, ET Career Talks offers young professionals an opportunity to learn from and interact with some of the most influential leaders and experts in various fields. In line with the aim of this initiative, ET Career Talks sessions also feature relevant skill enhancement programs and learning courses that attendees can leverage to accelerate their professional journey.


Upskilling key to staying ahead
To be a good product manager or product engineer, upskilling and continuous learning is vital, pointed out Jindal. When hiring for either of these roles, Jindal values candidates who demonstrate a willingness to learn on the job, an inquisitive nature, and positive, open-minded attitude that can ensure they continue to upgrade their skills. Transitioning from a product engineering role to a product management role will mean a career upgrade, since a product engineer requires core technical skills, while the role of a product manager is a leaderhip position. To assume a product management role, it is common for those with engineering backgrounds to get an MBA or upskill in some way to become a product manager, noted Jindal.

Below are some courses for product management:-

Course Name	Source
ISB Product Management	Click Here
Kellogg Product Management	Click Here
ISB Professional Certificate in Product Management	Click Here

“They (engineers) will have to keep upskilling their knowledge about a lot of (product management) programme-related things, especially in the domains of finance, market strategy, latest trends in the markets, and also about the overall management of the whole programme (product),” Jindal advised.

Jindal encouraged young professionals to continuously upskill even while working, whether it is through an MBA course or other upskilling courses that enable them to learn about the latest industry trends and technologies.

At MG Motor too, employees have the opportunity to upskill themselves, said Jindal. MG Motor also has a programme for college students called MG Nurture, which offers students in their 6th and 7th semester, courses on connected cars, autonomous, and electric vehicles. The programme also provides upskilling opportunities to help students navigate tough job interviews and take on the challenges of corporate life.

Watch the full ET Career Talk session with Sameer Jindal: