I’ve managed hiring at a mid-sized SaaS company, and here’s what I’ve seen: domain knowledge matters more at senior PM levels, but transferable skills win early on. We’ve hired great PMs who switched between completely different industries because they nailed user research and made data-driven decisions.
On compensation - certs don’t usually bump your salary much. But PSPO does teach solid prioritization frameworks that interviewers love asking about. Companies care way more about how you explain trade-offs and manage stakeholders than what letters you have after your name.
For interviews, prep metric-heavy case studies. Get good at explaining how you’d measure success for product changes, even using examples from your BA work. They want to see you think business impact, not just shipping features.
Don’t stress about the cert - I got PSPO last year and it’s been meh for actual work, but gave me solid interview talking points. The frameworks stuck more than I expected. On domain switching, I jumped from retail to B2B software and there’s definitely a learning curve. Showing genuine curiosity about the new space + asking smart questions about user pain points made up for not knowing industry jargon. Hiring managers appreciate fresh perspectives anyway. Just articulate why you’re passionate about their specific problem space during interviews!
I’ve been through similar transitions, so here’s my take. Domain expertise gets more valuable as you move up, especially in regulated stuff like healthcare or finance where compliance knowledge really affects product decisions. But strong analytical skills and understanding customers can definitely make up for it early on.
For PSPO vs CSPO - honestly, there’s barely any difference when it comes to getting hired. What actually matters is showing how you’ve used agile principles to get results. I’ve seen certifications bump salaries maybe 5-10%, but the real value comes from pairing them with solid, measurable wins.
For interviews, use frameworks like RICE or Jobs-to-be-Done on case studies. “Cracking the PM Interview” is still the best prep book out there. Even without official product ownership experience, you can show product thinking by talking about how you’ve spotted user problems, prioritized solutions, and tracked success in your BA work. Just reframe your analytical projects through a product lens - focus on impact, not just process.
Certifications? Sure, add PSPO to your resume if you want, but hiring managers don’t throw money at people for memorizing scrum theory. Most certs are expensive procrastination from actually building products. Domain knowledge helps, but half the “experts” I know just got lucky and stumbled into their niches. Show actual product wins instead of collecting digital badges like Pokemon cards.
Stay curious - it beats being a domain expert! Focus on real product wins and learning fast. Practice product teardowns and customer journey mapping for interviews. You got this!
totally feel you! i switched from healthcare to tech too. it’s all about showing ur skills & not just ur past jobs. PSPO is cool but honestly, nothing beats real exp. let them see u think like a PM & make a difference!