For present and aspiring product managers, the query comes up repeatedly: Is product administration certification definitely worth the funding?
At Productside, we care deeply about serving to product professionals develop of their careers. That’s why we carried out a survey of 200 product managers throughout industries like finance, healthcare, and tech to higher perceive the worth of certification. The outcomes have been clear: certification can speed up profession development in tangible methods.
Whether or not it’s incomes a promotion, touchdown a brand new position, or constructing confidence on the job, certification helps product managers take their careers to the subsequent degree. Let’s break down the info and uncover how certification impacts actual product professionals.
Why Certification Issues in Product Administration
Product administration is a subject the place sensible expertise is essential, however formal certification gives one thing distinctive: a structured path to mastering core abilities. Certification ensures you’re constructing a complete basis in areas like technique, communication, and person research- abilities which might be important for the position and arduous to acquire in different programs of examine.
One frequent false impression is that certification is nearly checking a field for hiring managers. Nonetheless, our survey reveals that it’s far more than that. Certification displays dedication to development, the flexibility to sort out advanced challenges, and even readiness for management alternatives.
In truth, employers more and more worth certifications for profession development. Many Human Sources professionals require certification for promotions or new roles. Our survey confirms that licensed professionals usually tend to transfer up the profession ladder. This information level isn’t unique- in our Benchmark Expertise Report we additionally discovered that educated Administrators of Product Administration exceeded untrained Administrators throughout each important talent space.
Certification isn’t nearly having a credential—it’s about gaining the boldness and abilities to thrive as a pacesetter.
Profession Outcomes Backed by Knowledge
The outcomes of our current survey have been clear: certification considerably impacts profession development. Among the many licensed professionals surveyed, 31% reported receiving a promotion inside the final 12 months, in comparison with simply 17% of non-certified professionals.
The advantages didn’t cease there. Licensed professionals have been:
- Twice as possible to have by no means missed a promotion alternative.
- Extra more likely to obtain raises, with 30% of licensed ladies particularly crediting certification for his or her wage will increase.
- 13% of respondents additionally cited being employed into their first product administration position, as seen in tales like McKenna Johnson, now a digital product supervisor at Aon.
Certification doesn’t assure profession success, but it surely creates alternatives by constructing abilities that employers worth. From technique to roadmapping and communication, these competencies have been among the many prime outcomes for licensed professionals.
These aren’t simply theoretical ideas. They’re the sensible instruments that drive profession development and management success.
When you think about these outcomes, the worth of certification turns into arduous to disregard.
What Units Productside Certification Aside
Not all certifications are created equal. At Productside, we’ve partnered with AIPMM, the one impartial third-party certifying physique within the business, to make sure our certifications meet the best requirements. This partnership means we don’t simply educate the fabric—we put together product managers to show their experience by rigorous, proctored exams that go far past easy quizzes.
Our dedication to high quality is mirrored in our outcomes. Productside’s instructor-led coaching applications restrict class measurement to a most of 20 learners and boast a completion charge of 100%, far surpassing the typical 5% for on-line programs supplied by Coursera or Udemy and the low engagement charge quoted by individuals of enormous programs supplied by Reforge. Even self-study programs with Productside see completion charges of 30–40%, properly above the business normal.
Whenever you select Productside, you’re not simply getting a certification—you’re becoming a member of a program designed to ship real-world outcomes.
Teacher-Led Coaching vs. Self-Examine
In relation to studying, flexibility is vital, however the methodology you select can tremendously influence your outcomes. At Productside, we provide each instructor-led coaching and self-study choices to go well with completely different wants. Nonetheless, our survey revealed a big benefit for individuals who selected instructor-led coaching: 65% extra profession development.
Licensed professionals who participated in instructor-led applications have been:
- 43% extra more likely to get promoted inside 18 months in comparison with self-study graduates (26%).
- Extra assured in making use of their abilities in real-world situations, due to hands-on steering and collaboration.
Why does instructor-led coaching make such a distinction? It’s about accountability and interplay. With a structured schedule, knowledgeable instructors, and alternatives to interact with friends, individuals are much more more likely to full this system and retain what they’ve realized.
Self-study can nonetheless be efficient, particularly for these with robust self-motivation, however when you’re critical about accelerating your profession, instructor-led coaching is the way in which to go.
Actual Tales, Actual Impression
Probably the most compelling case for certification comes from those that’ve skilled its advantages firsthand. Tales from Productside graduates present how certification can rework careers, opening doorways to new roles, promotions, and raises.
Take McKenna Johnson, for instance. After incomes her certification, she reported extra callbacks whereas job looking and landed a task as a digital product supervisor at Aon. For her, certification wasn’t only a credential—it was the important thing to shifting ahead in her profession.
Cody Stokes, a product supervisor at Cirrus Perception, shared how certification boosted his confidence. He’s now seen as a go-to useful resource amongst his friends for creating high-quality artifacts and necessities.
A feminine learner shared the same perspective:
“I feel that merely having a baseline certification permits extra open doorways for these seeking to develop their careers as product professionals, and I’ve really useful Productside’s programs to many people who’ve additionally turn out to be licensed.”
The information additionally highlights the distinctive outcomes for ladies in this system. 30% of ladies surveyed obtained raises post-certification, a big step ahead in a historically male-dominated subject.
These tales aren’t simply outliers—they replicate the broader influence certification has on actual folks’s lives. Whether or not it’s breaking into a brand new subject, incomes a promotion, or just feeling ready for management discussions, certification equips professionals with the instruments they should succeed.
Take the Subsequent Step in Your Product Administration Profession
Certification has the facility to open doorways, speed up profession development, and enhance confidence in executing on the job. Whether or not you’re simply beginning out in product administration or aiming for a management position, Productside certification gives the construction and abilities that can assist you succeed.
With our instructor-led applications, you’re not simply finishing a course—you’re gaining a deeper understanding of technique, communication, and the market dynamics that drive profitable merchandise. And as our survey reveals, the influence goes far past the classroom.
Now’s the right time to spend money on your profession. Throughout our Black Friday sale, you may benefit from unique reductions on our certification applications. Don’t wait—this supply is barely out there for a restricted time, and your future self will thanks for making the leap in the present day.
November 25, 2024
