Ever wondered what it takes to land PM roles at big-name companies? James shares how he transitioned from software engineering internships into product roles across startups, ByteDance, and now Crypto.com. In this episode, he spills the details behind technical PM interviews, reflects on whether notoriously difficult NUS CS modules actually matter in the workplace, and shares what technical students should know before pivoting into product.

Short on time? This blog recap covers the short version — James' journey from SWE intern to full-time PM, what he learned about domain expertise, knowing yourself, and why onboarding funnels are the most important thing nobody talks about.

Timestamps

00:28 Background of James

01:49 Are Hard NUS CS Modules Actually Used For Your PM Job?

05:13 Career Exploration Path from SWE to PM

07:41 Experience With Growing A Business

11:27 Balancing Internship with School

12:31 How to Land PM Internships?

16:55 Experience of Being a PM

17:54 Essential Traits of a PM

21:26 PM Experience in Startups vs. MNCs

26:47 Types of PMs

29:32 Mini-segment: How to Navigate Reddit PM Crises?

38:02 Advice for Breaking into PM

41:05 One Hidden Skill Essential for PMs

Highlights

Catch the key moments from this episode below!

About the Guest