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Harshita Pal quit her job in software engineering to shift her career to product management.
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Parr shared the steps she took to make a change, including pursuing an MBA and interning.
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After interning at a large technology company, she worked full-time as a product manager at the same company.
After nearly a decade as a software engineer, Harshita Pal quit her high-paying job at an American multinational retailer to pursue an entirely different path: product management.
Although Parr earned a bachelor’s degree in electronics and communications engineering in 2013 and worked her way up to senior and leadership positions in the field, in 2021 she decided to make what she calls a “thoughtful transition.” Her turning points included earning an MBA, learning a whole new set of skills, and landing an internship at a large technology company.
The risk paid off; today, Parr, 33, works as a senior product manager at the same large tech company where she interned.
Pal loves software engineering, but she loves working with products
Parr told Business Insider it’s not that she doesn’t enjoy being a software engineer; In fact, she really enjoyed the logic and problem-solving involved. Although software engineering is often considered a stressful profession, she said she felt that over time she learned how to deal with stress effectively.
Instead, Pal realized she felt a disconnect between the code she was writing and the broader business or user context, and was frustrated by limited interactions with customers.
As an engineering lead, Pal’s primary focus is technical delivery, but she finds herself naturally drawn into product discussions.
“I started asking questions about the user journey, challenging feature prioritization, and proposing alternative solutions based on the impact on users,” Pal said. “That’s when it hit me: What really excites me is not just the act of building a product, but the impact of what we create and the why behind it.”
She focused on product management as a career path related to her passion. “It’s not about abandoning engineering; it’s about moving to a place where you can add value on a different level,” she said.
Once Parr knew it was time to switch gears, there was no turning back. She quit her software engineering job in 2021 to start moving towards realizing her vision. “This feels like a short-term sacrifice and an investment in my career,” Parr said.
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Here are the steps this former software engineer took to successfully make this major career change:
1. She took an MBA program
To gain the skills and knowledge he needed, Pal started an MBA program at the University of California, Irvine, the same year he quit his job as a software engineer. She believes this path can lead to better leadership positions, more responsibility and higher compensation.
“In order to transition from an engineering role to a product role and excel there, I realized I had to have a solid grasp of finance, marketing, strategy, and entrepreneurship, areas that weren’t part of my day job as a software engineer,” said Pal.
Pursuing an MBA provided her with structured learning and exposure to the business concepts she craved. In addition to his coursework, Pal also used the opportunity during the course to connect with product owners, dive into hands-on projects, and start thinking like a product manager. She also focused on learning how to demonstrate her engineering achievements in terms of product and business impact.
“Ultimately, a combination of improving my skills, positioning myself, and seeking relevant experience helped me make the transition,” Parr said.
2. She found an internship
To achieve her goal of landing a tech product management position, Parr said she shaped her entire experience around getting there—from the classes she chose to take, to the projects she worked on, to the people she connected with.
To gain practical experience in a new field, she secured a three-month internship at a large technology company. The process began with Parr writing a compelling narrative for her internship application that connected her engineering background to product management.
“I demonstrated my problem-solving skills, technical knowledge, and passion for user and business outcomes,” she said. She also actively seeks opportunities to hone her product thinking skills through case competitions and side projects.
The internship application process also requires an online assessment and interview, which includes practicing product awareness, assessment, and behavioral questions.
She used her MBA program’s career services to build her resume and prepare for interviews, and contacted product managers at target companies to use the insights to develop her own interview strategy.
Parr went deep into preparation, conducting mock interviews with friends, classmates, alumni and other candidates she met online who were preparing for similar positions.
“This helped me refine my responses, adapt to the types of questions I might face, and build my confidence,” she said. “I believe that level of preparation really helped me land the job.”
3. She received a full-time return offer from the internship company
During her internship, Pal focused on earning the trust of her team by building strong working relationships and demonstrating that her engineering background and MBA training translated into impact. At the same time, she actively networked with other employees in the company outside of her team who held similar positions.
After the internship, Pal received a return offer for a full-time product manager position at the same company upon graduation.
She believes that even if she doesn’t get paid back, the relationships she builds within the company will be critical in being recommended or considered for other positions within the company.
Pal’s new career feels like a better fit than software engineer
Pal said that as a software engineer, she focuses primarily on execution — building features, solving technical challenges and maintaining coding best practices. “My main focus is implementation and delivery according to established requirements,” she said.
While she’s happy to do so, Parr said she feels “much more fulfilled” after making the career change. Now, her role as a product manager involves doing what she loves: figuring out what her company needs to build and why it matters.
“I shape the product vision; set priorities; and ensure alignment between user needs, business goals and what’s technically possible,” Pal said. “It encourages me to think big, innovate, and stay focused on what my customers really want.”
Do you have a career transition story to share? Contact this editor Jane Zhang at janezhang@businessinsider.com.
Read the original article on Business Insider
