Hey there! I’ve been working as a consultant for around 7 years now and I’m thinking about moving into product management. My background is mainly in building economic models to figure out how valuable new drugs are for different healthcare systems around the globe.
The work feels meaningful and makes a difference, but consulting is really wearing me out. The hours are crazy and I’m always feeling burned out. Plus with AI getting better, clients want to automate most of what we do, so our technical skills don’t seem as valuable anymore.
I’m curious about people who switched from technical consulting to product management. Can you tell me about your journey?
- What steps did you take to make the switch? Did you get any certifications or work on products while still consulting?
- What do you like better about product management compared to consulting? What’s worse?
- Did your salary change much when you switched?
I’d really appreciate hearing about anything else you think would help someone like me who’s considering this career change. Thanks!
consulting burnout is brutal - made the switch from strategy consulting 4 years ago and haven’t regretted it once. your economic modeling skills translate better than you’d expect. PMs constantly work on business cases and roi calculations. i skipped the certs and just networked with people at health startups where domain knowledge actually matters. hardest part was learning to ship quickly instead of perfecting every analysis like we did in consulting. took a salary hit at first, but the equity more than made up for it.
Oh man, I feel you on AI eating into consulting! Made the switch from tech consulting 2 years ago and honestly didn’t expect to love obsessing over one product instead of juggling multiple client disasters. Biggest surprise? All those years breaking down complex problems for executives translates directly to defining product requirements and roadmaps. Took 6 months of networking and side projects to land my first PM role, but the work-life balance improved instantly. Sure, I’m not making consultant money, but I actually have weekends and can plan vacations without client emergencies!
Former healthcare consultant here - made this exact jump 3 years ago! Your economic modeling background is gold for PM roles. You already think in value propositions and stakeholder impact, which tons of PMs can’t do well. I went through a healthcare tech startup where my domain knowledge gave me instant cred with clinical and business teams. The burnout relief hit immediately - no more endless travel or putting out client fires. But you’ll miss consulting’s variety. PM work gets repetitive when you’re stuck on one product. Money-wise, I took a 15% hit upfront but made it back in 18 months with equity and promotions. Start networking with PMs at health tech companies now. Your regulatory and health economics background makes you incredibly valuable there.
Your healthcare economics background couldn’t be better timing! Product teams are dying for people who get regulatory pathways and can actually quantify user value. The switch is pretty natural - just think ‘users’ instead of ‘clients.’ Same analytical skills, way less stress!