Examining the career paths of a TPM
The career paths of a TPM are as varied as the paths to becoming a TPM in the first place. Each person has their own story and path they follow, and the timing from step to step is also just as variable as the number of TPMs.
That being said, within the TPM job family, there are two main paths: the individual contributor path and the people manager path. I’ve combined job postings, interview notes, and personal stories of TPMs at different stages of their career to get to the perspectives in this book. What the data only hints at, however, is where we will start. How do you become a TPM?
The path to becoming a TPM
The TPM role is highly technical in most instances across the tech industry, as well as in industries needing technical expertise. A key component of a successful start as a TPM is having a strong technical foundation. This is traditionally in the form of a technical degree, such as computer science (CS), information...
