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  1. how to become a product manager

    How to Become a Product Manager in 5 Steps (with No Experience)

    Categories: Product Management

    Product Management is an ever-growing field, and one of the most in-demand fields in the business world right now.

    Today, many companies rely on Product Managers to help them manage the entire Product Management lifecycle.

    We’ve created this mini-guide to introduce the field of Product Management and identify how you can become a Product Manager in a few steps.

    What is Product Management?

    Product Management is an interesting field, where companies create and sell products that customers want. At its core, Product Management means overseeing every stage of a product’s life — when that product is researched, created, designed, sold and eventually removed from the market.

    As a Product Manager, you’ll help companies create and release products that make customers’ lives easier. Your individual responsibilities will vary, depending on factors like your employer and their industry.

    All Product Managers oversee the development of products from start to finish.

    Why are Product Managers so important?

    Product Managers are the ones ultimately responsible for the success or failure of a product.

    They are the ones who define the long-term vision, direction and execution of each product. They also outline timelines for product development. Product Managers should use their knowledge of their company’s goals, in order to create products that best serve customer needs.

    Without Product Managers, most products would never make it to the public.

    How do I become a Product Manager?

    There is no right or wrong path to becoming a Product Manager.

    Product Managers come from various backgrounds. For example, you might have a background in communications, marketing, engineering, sales or a completely different field. Product Managers often have different backgrounds, but most share the same love for product design and sales.

    Here are five steps that can help you become a top-tier

    Read more
  2. product management careers

    A Guide to the Product Management Career Path

    Categories: Product Management

    In the last five years alone, interest in Product Management positions has doubled. This isn’t overly surprising — Product Management professionals have an extremely important role. They perform research, connect with customers, create product prototypes and handle many aspects of an official product launch.

    In other words, it’s almost impossible to sell products without a Product Management team.

    Depending on the size of the company, a Product Management team might be made of several different team members. Most Product Management teams have a director or a team lead, who provide direction for Product Managers, Analysts, Engineers and Marketers.

    Almost anyone can find a rewarding career in Product Management. With the right attitude, and the right combination of skill and strategy, it’s only a matter of time before you discover the Product Management career you deserve.

    What skills do I need for a career in Product Management?

    Product Management educator Martin Eriksson calls Product Management “the intersection between business, technology, and user experience”.

    What does that mean?

    To succeed in Product Management, you’ll need skills in those three fields: business, technology and user experience.

    Here’s are some of the skills you might need in a Product Management setting:

    • Product Vision — Creating roadmaps that outline how products will be created, tested and released to the market
    • Goal-setting — Setting objectives for product sales, and for the individual team members who help create the products
    • Research — Investigating customer needs to create products that solve them
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  3. are product management bootcamps worth it

    Are Product Management Bootcamps Worth It?

    Categories: Product Management

    For most people, Product Management bootcamps are a great investment.

    A Product Management bootcamp is a great way to build skills, expand your network and learn more about the Product Management field.

    The right Product Management bootcamp can help you begin a rewarding career managing products and the hardworking employees who make them. If you’re trying to earn a promotion or deepen your career, a Product Management bootcamp can also teach you new skills that make you even more valuable to your employer.

    While Product Management bootcamps aren’t the right fit for everyone, there’s a high chance that this is the right next step for your career.

    What are the benefits of a Product Management bootcamp?

    If you’re looking to learn valuable Product Management skills without quitting your job or committing full-time to a university degree program, a Product Management bootcamp is a great fit.

    Here are some of the benefits you can expect from a Product Management bootcamp:

    • Enjoy hands-on experience in the Product Management industry
    • Participate in flexible, learn-at-your-own-pace lessons
    • Build a career-ready portfolio
    • Access a mentor network for one-on-one education
    • Join a network of fellow Product Management professionals

    Product Management bootcamps have become an increasingly popular choice for students who don’t want to wait four years for a university diploma. These and other benefits help thousands of students every year achieve a meaningful Product Management career.

    What should I look for in a Product Management bootcamp?

    Not all

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  4. learning options for returning students

    A Practical Guide for Adults Returning to a Learning Environment

    Categories: Apprenticeships

    Many adult learners or learners with some college and no credentials simply don’t feel like higher education is for them,” says Terah Crews, a now-CEO who left high school early and entered college in her later adult years.

    There is no such thing as too late, too old or too far behind when it comes to education. An estimated 60% of adults have considered returning to school — despite a few anticipated financial hurdles.

    Whether you’re a university student who’s taken some time away from school, an employee seeking a career change or someone who’s doing research on the best learning options before taking the leap — you’re far from being the only one.

    I understand what it’s like to be the only person over 22 in a classroom,” Crews says.

    In a clear statement against the value of traditional higher education, Americans are actively choosing careers over continued education. The majority of available resources — the tools that would typically equip students in their pursuit of secondary learning — are still predominantly tailored for a younger audience. 

    This lack of proper resources not only deters countless adults from returning to an academ

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  5. The 6 Highest-Paying Jobs for Data Analysts

    Categories: Data Analytics

    Data is transforming businesses and accelerating company growth in a way that has never existed before. Jobs within the data world — especially in the field of data analytics — are on the rise, and there is a steady growth in job demand and compensation year-over-year.

    Maybe you’re an aspiring data analytics professional, looking to establish your first real data career. Perhaps you’re looking for opportunities to deepen a current data-related role, or take the next step toward a promotion in a field like data analytics, data science or data engineering.

    Consider this article your guide to the top-paying data careers.

    Why choose a data analysis job?

    The majority of data analysis jobs will command high-median salaries, even in entry-level positions for recent graduates, or people with only a year or two of qualified experience.

    Here are a few of the other reasons you might want to consider establishing yourself in a data-related field:

    • A wide variety of job opportunities
    • Ample room for career advancement
    • Daily brainstorming and problem-solving work
    • A balance of technical work and interpersonal communication
    • Few mandatory qualifications

    Ready to figure out which data analysis job is best for you?

    Let’s dive in.

    Best data analyst jobs

    The data analysis positions we’ll discuss below are not the only jobs available in the field; they’re also the highest-paying data professions available.

    These jobs are ranked from lowest-to-highest salary, but keep in mind these estimated salaries have been derived from a selection of statistics, and may vary based on your individual experience as well as per company compensation packages.

    6. Data Engineer ($70,000–$130,000)

    A data engineer’s role is to make data m

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  6. how to improve data literacy

    5 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Data Literacy

    Categories: Data Science

    The importance of data literacy has become increasingly blatant in recent years — primarily due to the damage that data illiteracy is causing.

    Data literacy allows organizations to learn from the data they collect, and implement growth strategies that create opportunities for success. By contrast, companies with high levels of data illiteracy are unable to learn from their own information. This makes them ill-prepared for change, and unable to adapt in the face of a market shift.

    Today, data literacy is often one of the biggest factors that separates transformative companies from organizations that fold in the face of change.

    What is data literacy?

    Data literacy is the ability to read, understand, analyze, work and communicate with data in its relevant context. Today, data literacy has quickly become a non-negotiable skill in many fields — including business.

    Modern companies compile data faster than ever before: 90% of the world’s data was created in the past two years alone. On a daily basis, your ability to access, consume, and interpret data grows more important.

    Data literacy is available to every business of every size. What was once a benefit has become a necessity: regardless of your company’s size, you need data literacy to improve operations, accelerate decision-making and draw powerful conclusions from the information you collect.

    How can I implement data literacy at my company?

    Teaching data literacy was once a university responsibility. Today, there are better ways to learn data collection, data analysis, and other critical skills that can improve data literacy across your organization.

    Here are five powerful ways to improve data literacy in your company.

    1. Establish clear leadership

    Employees rely on their leaders to provide direction, support

    Read more
  7. what is product management

    A Complete Guide to Product Management

    Categories: Product Management

    Take a second to visualize one of your all-time favorite products.

    Maybe it’s a kitchen appliance, a pair of designer shoes, an adjustable standing desk or a car so fast it’ll make you blush. Every time you use this favorite product of yours, it makes your life a little bit better; you use it so often you can’t imagine not having it.

    That product you’re thinking of is the result of one thing: product management.

    Someone out there thought of a product that would solve a specific need or pain point — a challenge you faced before you owned the product. A team of people came together, brainstormed designs for the product, created prototypes and released that product to the public.

    That product changed the world when it was released, but it wasn’t perfect. Someone on the product team monitored the product after it was released. How did customers use the product? What did customers enjoy/not enjoy about the product? Product teams performed tests and made modifications to that product, to make it even better and preserve its value over time.

    Product management is a broad field with a wide-range of responsibilities and specializations; at its core, it enables companies to ideate, prototype, launch and continuously improve their products for consumers. 

    What is product management?

    Product management — sometimes referred to as product lifecycle management — is the process of overseeing a product’s entire lifecycle.

    It combines customer-focused service, business intelligence and technological expertise to ensure the best possible product is built, a product that helps make customers’ lives easier.

    This form of management strategically directs every stage of the product’s development, from the initial phases of research, drafting and pricing to the final stages of development, testing and the official product launch.

    In today’s digital-first era — where products are constantly uprooted i

    Read more
  8. how to hire data analytics expert

    How to Hire the Right Data Analytics Team

    Categories: Data Analytics

    When your business starts to grow, you may find yourself in need of additional data analytics resources. This can be a difficult process — how do you know who to trust with your team’s collected information? And how can you be sure that they will be the right fit for your company?

    In this article, we will provide tips for hiring the right data analytics team. We'll help you understand what to look for, and how to make sure that your new team will be able to help your business reach its goal.

    Why do I need a data analytics team?

    The first step in hiring a data analytics team is to identify your internal data-related needs. Do you need someone to manage your company’s data? Do you need help with applying algorithms to complicated data sets, or with implementing data-informed strategies that inform growth?

    Do you need the help of someone who can create and implement an entire data analytics project framework?

    If you're expanding your business, you might need a team that can do all of the above. And if you’re not sure where to turn for your data analytics, you might need one or more data professionals who can help you diagnose your data-related needs before satisfying them.

    Understanding your data analytics needs will help you identify the right candidates for the job.

    How do I form the right data analytics team?

    Let's talk about how to form a data analytics workforce.

    When determining which type of data team you’re building, there are a few important factors to keep in mind. Let’s dive into some of those factors below.

    1. Identify your data analytics needs

    Before you begin pursuing the next members of your data analytics team, it’s important that your entire organization understands its data-related needs. For example, small organizations might not need an entire data analytics workflow. Instead, a commitment to collecting and analyzing your most important data might do the trick.

    Read more

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