Anyone Can Become a Product Manager in 2025

I get pushback on this statement almost every time I say it, but I stand by it completely: Anyone from any background can become a Product Manager in 2025. Not “most people” or “people with the right experience.” Anyone.

The pushback usually sounds like this: “But don’t you need a tech background?” “What about an MBA?” “Isn’t product management oversaturated?” These objections come from a fundamental misunderstanding of what product management actually requires and how career transitions really work in today’s market.

I’ve seen teachers become product managers at Fortune 500 companies. I’ve watched healthcare workers pivot into fintech PM roles. I’ve mentored finance professionals who now lead product teams at unicorn startups. The path exists, and it’s more accessible than most people realize.

But accessibility doesn’t mean easy. It means there’s a proven roadmap that works regardless of your starting point. Let me show you exactly what that roadmap looks like.

The Distance Framework: Where You Stand Determines Your Strategy

Not all career transitions are created equal. Your current position determines both your timeline and your approach. I think about career transitions in terms of degrees of separation from product…