Summary
In this chapter, we examined the different paths that can lead to a TPM career, focusing on roles such as an SDE, DevOps, and even an SDM. We discussed the motivations for the switch to TPM as well as the paths that are often available once you are a TPM.
We saw that the IC role allows you to exercise your project and program skill sets and directly contribute to the success of your company. We followed the path of a principal TPM as he went from IC roles in product and program management to people roles as a director and development manager.
We then explored the people manager role and how you focus on the growth of others by imparting your IC experience to achieve success for your team.
We also followed two different TPM professionals through their career journeys to see how their choices led them to different paths. Most importantly, we got a glimpse of why they made the decisions they made to help us better understand what career path may be best for us.
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