Launching Your Career in Product: Tips to Break into the Industry

Abbey Russell

Launching Your Career in Product: Tips to Break into the Industry

Thinking about a career in product management but not sure where to start? With so many eager professionals trying to break into this fun but challenging industry, knowing what steps to take can be daunting. What product area should you focus on? What soft skills do you need? How can you...

Join us as Abbey Russell, Senior Product Manager at Cockroach Labs, shares thoughtful insights to chart your product management journey. From traditional to non-traditional pathways, Abbey knows there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to finding and accelerating PM success.

Relying on consulting management and software engineering expertise, Abbey is now helping to build the technology infrastructure at Cockroach. She’ll identify main career entranceways — from leveraging adjacent experience in marketing or sales to starting with PM programs designed for junior professionals — and how to navigate the industry.

In this chat, you’ll learn:

How a specific niche can help establish your personal brand
Soft skills needed to encourage cross-collaboration
Tips to upskill & gain the right technical knowledge

Meet The Speaker

Abbey Russell

Senior Product Manager, Cockroach Labs

Abbey knows how important it is to step out of your comfort zone and be adaptable in your career. Her career journey has taken her from MIT's Computer Science Department, to software engineering roles, to Mckinsey's Management Consulting Practice. She is now a Senior Product Manager, in charge of data streaming, at Cockroach Labs. Her eagerness to learn and hunger for a challenge has armed her with the skills needed to jump into new roles and career paths.