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PM Immersive — The first bootcamp for Product Managers
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@ellenchisa Hi Ellen! Great to meet you.
I totally agree with you; product management is something you can only truly learn by doing. And much of that doing is working together with developers and designers.
Throughout the program, students will have deliberate opportunities to work with our Web Development and UX Design students taking our immersive and part-time programs. Students will also get an opportunity to work with real companies and real dev & design teams.
The different goals challenge is also something we're trying to tackle. We're designing multiple projects to allow students to experience a number of different PM scenarios (ex. working on a new product at a start-up that has not reached product-market fit vs. optimizing an existing product for enterprise that has reached product-market fit). We're also planning a Personal Project that will allow students to work on their own ideas or an existing product / problem.
Lastly, our admissions process will also be significantly different from our part-time product management program, as it is with all of our immersive programs. We'll be looking for students who are committed to this transition, and may already have some experience with product, either as developers, designers, marketers, or on the business side.
Hope that answers your questions!
If anyone is interested in learning more, @andreplaut is doing a livestream to answer your questions in one hour! http://www.livestream.com/ga_pre...
Hi, @bogomep! This is a 10-week, full-time, offline career-transitioning bootcamp into Product Management.
@bogomep I'm genuinely trying to understand your point. Do you think all products need to be physical objects or software?
@rrhoover delete my entry, because it was an event, similar to yours, so I am wondering why is this still here.
@bogomep hey, Bogomil! I'll drop you an email ASAP once I get the PH email out in this morning scramble :)
I admire the emphasis on learning by doing, but I'm skeptical. @andreplaut, rather than designing your own simulated projects, why not have the teams work on *real* projects for local non-profits?
@kennethn +1 although I can understand how this may be far more difficult to organize with a startup/company, more so than other apprenticeship roles in design or engineering.
@guygal I'm so sorry to hear about your negative experience, Guy. There's nothing worse than something not meeting your expectations especially when you've invested your time and money.
If you feel like sharing more about your experience, and what you wish it had been, please feel free to email me directly at andre@ga.co and I'll be sure to share it with the right people.
@kennethn thanks for the question, Ken. There are a number of reasons we have students work on simulated or designed projects before they get to the final project, during which they will work with real companies and non-profits. Students begin working on projects on Day 1, and are therefore "learning-by-doing" immediately. During the first few weeks of the program, it's important for them to practice and apply their newly gained skills in a controlled environment so that our instructors can give better feedback and we can implement better assessments. This also protects the experience both for our students and clients later on. This process has led to much higher quality work being produced for clients during our UX Design Immersive. Hope that answers your question!
@andreplaut ah yes! another question about this - will it still be a PM in residence doing the grading? or will instructors be compensated for that as well?
(I've struggled with wanting to weigh in on grades so things will be more cohesive - but also not having time to prep for lecture and grade).
@ellenchisa Grading / giving feedback is definitely a shared responsibility between all co-instructors. We try to strategically plan the full-time programs to have enough time and support within the instructional team so that all instructors are able to plan, lecture, meet with students, and give feedback.
I took the GA PM class and I was disappointed.
Elementary. Theoretical. General. Drawn out. Course could have been taught on a single Saturday.
People in the class had dramatically different experience and ability but the curriculum was designed for newbies. More a high school class than something college-level.
I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who already has product chops and looking to tune new skills.
My personal gripe is that my attempt to address this with the administration fell on deaf ears. Really poor customer service. I Imagine they hear this a lot because they sell the class as appropriate for different skill levels (I probed on this thoroughly before I signed up) but it is designed for complete newbies.
Even if you are a newb, at $3500 and 50 hours, you're better served paying a PM that money and spending the 50 hours working for her.
@ellenchisa, your assessment is dead on with my experience, I wonder the same re: this new course... and I've also identified the same bug, but pretty sure @ZackShapiro thinks it's a feature ;)
Lola