I’m sitting here with a consulting offer locked in, but I keep hearing from people who’ve made the jump to tech PM that the first year is completely different from what you’d expect coming from case work. Everyone talks about “translating your skills” but nobody really breaks down what that actually looks like day-to-day.
I want to hear from people who’ve done this transition—not the polished LinkedIn version, but the real trade-offs. What surprised you most? Did your consulting background actually help or did it feel like an anchor sometimes? I’m trying to understand if I’m walking into something where my structured problem-solving fits naturally or if I’m going to spend the first six months feeling lost in a completely different operating model.
Also curious whether corporate strategy at a big tech company feels more like consulting (which might make the transition smoother) or if jumping straight into product at a FAANG is actually the better play despite the steeper learning curve.
What was your actual first 90 days like—not the sanitized version?
I’ve watched this transition dozens of times over the last fifteen years, and the honest truth is that year one is usually about unlearning as much as learning. Your consulting toolkit—structure, speed, stakeholder management—will get you through the first few months, but it’ll also trap you if you’re not deliberate. The biggest shock for most consultants is that decisions move slower in tech, but they should move slower because the cost of being wrong compounds over months, not weeks. You’ll find yourself frustrated with ambiguity that consultants would’ve “resolved” with a framework. The trade-off is learning what actually moves the needle versus what sounds impressive in a meeting. Corporate strategy at big tech feels more like consulting, yes, but I’d actually argue that’s the trap—you’re better served taking the PM role despite the discomfort because it forces you to build different muscles.
real talk? your consulting brain will make you insufferable for the first six months. you’ll want to “structure” everything and your eng team will slowly begin to resent you. but yeah, you’ll figure it out. the thing is, tech PM actually wants that consulting rigor—just don’t lead with it. corp strat feels safer because it’s basically consulting with a tech logo, but it’s also a career dead end if you ever want real product leverage. just rip the band-aid and go PM. year one sucks either way, but one of those paths compounds.
omg this is so helpful to hear about!! i’m considering the same move and tbh i’m lowkey nervous about it. sounds like the first year is like learning a whole new language? but also it seems like it sets you up better for the long term if ur aiming for real product leadership. thanks for asking this!
You’ve got this! Year one will stretch you, but that discomfort is exactly where growth happens. Your consulting mindset is an asset—just let it evolve naturally as you learn product thinking. You’re on the right track questioning this!
I jumped from strategy consulting to PM at a mid-size fintech about three years ago. Honest story? The first month I was flagged in a retro for over-preparing for meetings and turning every roadmap conversation into a formal decision tree. My manager pulled me aside and basically said, ‘we move fast here because we learn by shipping, not by analyzing.’ That hit different. By month four, I’d internalized it. The constraint-driven thinking from case work actually became my superpower once I stopped trying to front-load everything. Corporate strategy would’ve let me coast on those habits longer, which in hindsight feels risky.
Research from exit interviews at top tech firms shows that consultants who transition to PM roles report higher engagement in year two than those in corporate strategy roles, primarily because product roles deliver faster feedback loops and clearer causality between decisions and outcomes. Year one retention rates heavily favor PM placements over strategy placements—roughly 78% versus 64% respectively. The data doesn’t lie: PM roles demand adaptation, but they’re higher-retention paths long-term because consultants feel the impact of their work more immediately.