2025-09-18

How Impactful has the Product Management Career Accelerator Course been on my Career?

Early on after starting my career as a software engineer, I quickly realised that I was far more interested in what was involved around building products and how to make them successful, rather than the technical aspects of software development. Although I am grateful to have been an engineer and understand what is required for successful software development, I knew that I wanted to transition into product management.

In 2023, I was sat in a lab at work, frustrated at not being able to find opportunities that would allow me to transition into a product role. That is when I came across an advertisement for a Product Management Career Accelerator Course. The course was being run by King's College London, which is the university I graduated from, so I was instantly curious.

The course was 6 months long, would require around 10-15 hours each week and was designed to provide practical experience in product management. It would be taught by industry professionals, whom would provide guidance and feedback on our work.

My first thoughts were positive, I could fit this into my weekends, it was a structured program I could follow and I'd get a certification from a reputable university. Then came the price... £5,400. Gulp. This made me think twice, because essentially I would have to take a loan over several years and I wasn't even guaranteed a job at the end of it. Nonetheless, I decided to take the risk as nothing else had worked up to that point.

The biggest risk is not taking any risk... - Mark Zuckerberg

The course was split into four modules. The first was an introduction into product management and techniques used in developing product vision, conducting product discovery and defining product strategy with a roadmap. We covered the basics of creating a solution based on user personas. The course was online and involved an hour long lecture and an hour long seminar each week. Then, every two weeks we had to submit an assignment that was building towards a final project.

The theme throughout the course was to be designing a feature for a new streaming service platform. So, the final project for the first module was to create a Business Case for our proposed new feature, which would justify why we thought the proposed solution would satisfy customer needs and meet our product goals. This was a great exercise in understanding how to align product features with business objectives and prioritizing customer needs.

You can view my final business case assignment here.

Throughout each module, we had the opportunity to listen to guest speakers that worked in product management from both the private and public sectors. This was a great way to understand the challenges product managers face and the attributes that help them succeed in their roles.

The second module was based on product design and user experience. It delved deeper into topics such as user research, wireframing, prototyping, journey mapping and usability testing. Additionally, we looked at different development methodologies and the roles different product positions play in an organisation. The final project was to create a Product Demo and Design Report that included a high-fidelity prototype of our proposed feature, justifying our design decisions based on user feedback from testing and prioritising backlog items based on user needs. This exercise was invaluable in understanding the importance of user-centric design and how to iterate based on feedback.

You can view my final product demo and design report here and here.

The third module focused on launching a product to market. It focused on product marketing, product positioning, pricing plans, stakeholder communication and metrics for measuring product success. At the end of this module, we had to create a Go-to-Market Strategy for our feature. This was a great exercise in understanding how to effectively launch a product and measure its success.

You can view my final go-to-market strategy here.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The final module was a little different in that we were put into groups. But not only that, this module involved working with Sky, telecoms giant, to improve upon their accessibility features on their new Sky Glass product. This was a great opportunity to work on a real-world problem and apply the skills we had learned throughout the course. We had to collaboratively create a solution and prototype that would add value to Sky's customer base and align with their company values and goals. We had to present our solution to a panel of Sky's product team and received feeedback on our work. I found this module great fun and very valuable.

And that was 6 months finished. Did I find the course interesting and engageing? For sure. Did I learn new skills that I could take forward in my career? Absolutely. But the most value I found was the change in perspective it provided me towards developing products and the reassurance to know this is definitely the path I want to pursue in my career.

So, was it worth the £5,400? Well, the course also provided career support including resume reviews, interview preparation and advice on job searching. This was great to help me clean up my personal brand and prepare me to apply for roles. With that support, I applied to many roles and secured some interviews... but didn't receive any offers. Several months passed and I still hadn't found a role. I got to the stage of accepting that the course wouldn't result in a new job and I would just have to live with the cost of trying something bold. With my new found knowledge and skills, I decided to ask my current company to fund some Agile Scrum certifications which I passed! This showed my company that I was serious about agile product development and had the knowledge to back it up.

Then I saw an opportunity within my project. I developed a business case to improve our software release procedure by introducing automation into the system architecture. I developed a prototype and presented this to senior managment, justifying the cost and time benefits the solution would bring. They agreed and I was given the opportunity to lead the project as a Product Owner/Scrum Master. This was my first real product role and I was able to apply many of the skills I had learned on the course. Because of the successful delivery of this project and the value it brought to the business, I was promoted! This began my transition into a full-time Product role. After another year, I was able to get promoted again as a Product Owner of a larger project in my company. All in all, my salary increased more than the cost of the course in a couple years. Could I have achieved this without doing the course? Possibly, but I do believe the course provided me with the drive and confidence to go after what I wanted from my career. Looking back now I can say it was worth doing and it has definitely helped me in my career. But I don't think everyone needs to go down this route as I think professional experience will be far more valuable if it is available to you. It wasn't until I took it upon myself to action what I had learnt and prove my value within my organisation that I was able to push into a product role. Regardless, follow your gut and take the leap if you are hungry for change. Nothing comes easy, but with a little patience and a lot of persistence we can all get to where we want to be.