I was an SDE for 4yrs, did an MBA and have been working as a PM for 2yrs. My total work experience is 6+ yrs.
I've been a senior SDE , led teams and delivered cross functional projects with high impact.
When i apply to PM roles, the recruiters only look at my 2yrs as relevant experience. My comp and level is the same that kids fresh out of MBA get. It's so fucking frustrating.
No offense, but if PM is the only job you've ever had, you don't have any technical depth or experience. But companies don't give a hoot, they will pay an engineering veteran and fresh graduates the same , they will only look at on paper PM experience.
If I had known this before, i would have directly applied to PM jobs out of college instead of developing tech skills or expertise.
PM jobs out of college is hard to get. Tbh, post 2 years of SDE Exp , you couldve jumped to PM. That wouldve been better.
The hiring process is the fault of TA Team, they arent talented enough to account your engineering exp in the overall relevance to product.
Had you done this in a U.S Based company, you could've been got better comp than fresh MBA Guys. I suggest you to check for PM Roles in U.S Based startups . They ll recognise your prowess.
Here in India the nincompoop HRs & TAs dont know the T of Tech recruiting.
Your frustration makes total sense—your 4 years as an SDE should count for way more, especially the technical depth and leadership you built. Unfortunately, many companies fixate on ‘official’ PM titles.
The good news? Your engineering background is a huge long-term advantage in PM roles (especially in tech-heavy products). To bridge the gap faster:
Lean into data/analytics skills—this is where ex-engineers crush it as PMs.
Target technical PM roles (APIs, infra products, etc.) where your SDE experience will be valued.
Our free PM community has many who’ve made this switch—they share role-specific tips and job leads. Join here to connect with them: https://chat.whatsapp.com/B6weknl7133BQXjPva0pgB.
Hang in there—your skills will pay off, even if recruiters are slow to see it.
I feel for you bro! I got a refferal from my client but the TA team is so so so mean! She is not even giving me a call! Sallary wise she wants me to compromise
Haha. This is because the current PMs in India are not your breed dude
They are the fraudulent ones who got to be PMs right out of college without actually building anything in tech.
You threaten them and they love keep their profession fraudulent🥲
What’s your TC?
Background: I work in a D2C consumer product startup, we have an in-house website and a growing tech team of 7 people. The whole business team is 100+. I'm a '23 grad from a tier 1 engineering college.
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Had started my career as a android developer for 2 years. Was fairly good at it. Went for a MBA from IIM K and joined a fintech startup as a PM. Around 5yoe PM now
Keep regretting on and off how life could have been as a developer.
I feel I am just bored of Designing as a job. I was looking for steps to land an APM role in the startups without an MBA ;-;
