How to Grow as a Product Manager in 2025
A detailed guide: what to learn, where to start, and what actually works
Hey, Dmytro here — welcome to Atomic Product.
Every week, I share practical ideas, tools, and real-world lessons to help you grow as a product thinker and builder.
If you're new here, here are a few past posts you might find useful:
Product Hypotheses ≠ Ideas — Or Why You’re Not Seeing Results
User Interviews: How To Understand Users And Avoid Building The Wrong Product
Hit subscribe if not on the list yet— and let’s roll 👇
Advice on how to grow in product is everywhere — maybe more than actual product managers.
Read books. Watch videos. Learn by doing. Take ownership. Build your own product. Go to meetups. The list goes on.
These are all good suggestions. But they can be noisy and overwhelming.
The real problem? You still don’t know what you should do next.
– If you're already a PM but feel stuck — how do you figure out where to grow?
– If you're just getting started — what should you learn first, and how?
This article isn’t about motivation. And it’s not another philosophy piece.
It’s a hands-on map: where to look, how to plan your growth, what tools to use — and how to get better in real life, not in theory.
You’ll find:
– Curated links to books, courses, blogs, and tools I wish I had at the beginning
– A few practical ways to build a learning plan (and actually stick to it)
– And some underrated ideas for growing as a PM — even without a “perfect” project
This is not “the ultimate truth.”
Think of it as an entry point — into the profession, into this blog, and into a more systematic approach to growth.
Bookmark it. I’ll keep updating the guide with new materials over time.
Step one: Understand where you are
Learning everything all at once doesn’t make you better. Before building a plan, you need to know where you're starting from.
You might be:
• just exploring product management and not sure where to begin
• a working PM stuck at a plateau
• a mid-level PM aiming for CPO but unsure what’s missing
• even a senior with years of experience, yet struggling to grow “horizontally”
Wherever you are — the starting point is always the same: build a map of your territory.
Figure out what you already know — and where the gaps are.
🔍 How to start
1. Get the big picture
If you haven’t read it yet — start with this article:
→ What is Product Management all about?
It covers:
• how different companies define the PM role
• how your tasks depend on the product’s stage (from discovery to decline)
• and which skills remain core no matter where you work
This matters. Without a clear view of the whole landscape, you can’t choose your next step.
A product career isn’t a ladder — it’s more like a maze. You need to know what wing you’re in.
2. Assess your current skillset
Pick any framework — from the Mind the Product model to my simplified version.
It typically includes blocks like:
• Product Discovery
• Research & Analytics
• Stakeholder Communication
• Roadmapping
• Delivery & Team Process
Go through each block and ask yourself honestly:
– Can I do this?
– How confident am I?
– Do I use this in real work?
🎯 You can just score each from 0–3 in Excel or Notion. Even better — write down real examples.
3. Connect it to your career goals
Want a raise? A lead role? A switch to AI products?
Your growth priorities will change depending on where you’re headed.
The article above breaks down how the PM role shifts by product stage — check where you are, and what you’re missing.
Next step?
Don’t try to “level up everything.” Build a personal plan — even if it’s just scribbled on a napkin.
Step two: Build your PDP (and not abandon it a week later)
PDP is your way of staying afloat in the chaos of tasks, courses, and ideas.
Most PMs walk around with a brain full of thoughts like:
“I want to improve my metrics — but no clue where to start”
“There’s just too much — Discovery, UX, analytics, strategy…”
“I feel like I’m constantly busy — but not really moving forward”
But here’s how a PDP can actually help.
🔹 What is it, really?
PDP = Personal Development Plan.
In practice, it’s a simple tool to:
Define what skills you want to level up
Understand why they matter to you
And attach concrete steps to each one
💡 It’s not “take a course for the sake of it.”
It’s your answer to:
“What do I want to be able to do — and how will I actually learn it?”
🔹 How to build your PDP in 5 steps
Pick 2–3 focus areas per quarter
Don’t try to improve everything at once. Fewer goals — deeper growth.Describe what exactly you want to improve
Not just “analytics,” but “I want to learn how to formulate hypotheses and validate them using SQL + Amplitude.”Assess your current level (scale: 0–3)
0 — “Heard about it, never touched it”
1 — “I get the basics, but don’t use it”
2 — “I use it sometimes”
3 — “I use it confidently and help others”
Write down your plan — how will you learn it?
For example:
Take a course (and specify which one)
Build a mini-project
Discuss it with a mentor
Apply it in a real work project
Set a deadline and a checkpoint
e.g. “By the end of the quarter” or “First user interviews by end of the month”
🔹 What if you have zero time?
If you’re in “firefighting mode” and can’t sit down even for 30 minutes, just answer these 3 questions:
What do I want to be able to do in 3 months?
What’s stopping me from doing it now?
What’s one step I could take this week?
Sometimes that’s enough to shake off the paralysis and get moving again.
How to Actually Grow as a Product Manager
There’s too much content. Too little time. Courses, books, podcasts, interviews, meetups, certifications… It’s easy to get lost.
But there’s one mental model that helps cut through the noise.
🔄 The 70:20:10 Model — A Practical Way to Grow as a PM
Many people think product growth = a bunch of courses and certificates. But real growth works differently.
The 70:20:10 model, used in corporate learning programs, offers a more grounded approach:
70% — Learning by doing
That’s the core. Growth happens when you run discovery, write hypotheses, ship features, make mistakes, and try again.20% — Learning through others
Team retros, peer feedback, mentoring, stakeholder reviews — all help you see blind spots and sharpen your thinking.10% — Formal learning
Courses, books, lectures, articles. Still useful — but don’t overestimate it. You can finish every Reforge and Product School course and still write weak specs with zero hypotheses.
Use this model to structure your development. Real growth starts not with “one more course” — but with changing how you think and work.
When theory becomes practice — and sticks.
How to Build Product Skills (with Tools & Resources)
Let’s break down what you can actually do — and where to learn it.
This is not a checklist. Choose what fits your goals, budget, and context.
📚 Must-Read Books to Build Product Thinking
Books aren’t just inspiration — they offer structure, logic, and mental clarity.
No podcast can match that depth. But good books? They change how you think.
Start here:
Inspired by Marty Cagan
The PM bible. Why discovery matters — and how great products are really built.The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen
From idea to launch — with metrics, MVPs, and practical examples.The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick
How not to get lied to in user interviews. The best no-fluff guide to discovery.Continuous Discovery Habits by Teresa Torres
How to make discovery a habit — not a quarterly ritual.Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri
Features ≠ value. This one’s about culture, outcomes, and product strategy.
👉 Bonus list: 14 Must-Read Books for Every Product Manager
Tip: Don’t binge-read.
Highlight insights. Apply them. Re-read next year — and notice how your lens changes.
🎥 YouTube & Podcasts That Actually Make You Smarter
Not all learning happens in courses.
Top PMs share real insights on YouTube and in long-form podcasts.
Pick a few, watch during commutes or lunch breaks — and treat them as micro-trainings.
Here are some worth your time:
Dan Olsen – Product-market fit, metrics, feedback loops.
Lenny’s Podcast – Deep convos with PMs from Airbnb, Figma, Stripe.
Pawel Huryn – Strategy, discovery, roadmaps. Fast, clear, and practical.
Mind the Product – Talks, trends, and case studies.
Product School – Free webinars with PMs from Google, Meta, Amazon.
Productized – Interviews with global experts. Less fluff, more substance.
Diego Granados – How to land a PM job in Big Tech.
Dr. Bart Jaworski – Culture and strategy, explained through real cases.
Strategyzer – Deep dives on customer jobs and value props.
Atlassian – How they build Jira, Confluence, Trello. Learn from toolmakers.
Tip: Pick 2–3 channels. Watch 1 video per day.
Even one good idea can shape your next retro, roadmap, or user flow.
💻 Best Free Courses for Product Managers
No budget? No problem.
There are great free courses out there — but choose them based on your real needs.
📍Just starting out? These will build your foundation.
📍Already working as a PM? Pick one to sharpen a specific skill.
Top picks:
Product Analytics Certification — Mixpanel
Metrics, retention, funnels, A/B tests — all signal, no noise.Google Data Analytics — Coursera
Intro to analytics, SQL, and visual storytelling.IBM Product Manager Certificate — Coursera
A structured intro to the PM craft.Design Thinking — Great Learning
Learn how to build user-centric solutions with case-based thinking.Micro-Certifications — Product School
Quick wins on topics like prioritization, JTBD, and KPIs.Product-Led Certification — Pendo
Learn how to grow through product, not just sales — a must for modern PMs.
📎 Full article: Top 28 Free PM Courses in 2025 (link is coming soon 😉 )
Tip: Don’t collect certificates.
Ask yourself: What skill do I need right now? Then pick one course that helps build it.
Free ≠ useless. It’s all about how you apply what you learn.
💰 Paid Schools That Are Actually Worth It
There’s no shortage of courses on the market — but let’s be honest: most of them are fluff wrapped in shiny packaging.
If you’re going to invest, choose schools that teach you to think and do, not just memorize frameworks.
Here are three I can genuinely recommend:
Product School
Great for beginners or people transitioning from adjacent roles (design, analytics, engineering). Lots of foundational content, real-world tasks, and case studies. Especially useful if you need to close basic gaps fast.Reforge
This is next-level stuff. Programs are led by active product leaders from Meta, Uber, Figma. No one explains what a backlog is here — they dive into growth systems, discovery ops, and how PMs can impact the P&L.SVPG (Silicon Valley Product Group)
The team behind Inspired and Empowered. This is the closest thing to a true school of product thinking. Less about frameworks — more about how to think, set bold goals, and lead without fear. Best for those who want to go beyond “just running the process.”
💡 Pro tip:
Don’t take everything just because it’s popular. Figure out your growth gap — and choose the course that helps you practice in that exact area.
Otherwise, you’ll end up a theory collector. Real growth comes not from knowing — but from doing things differently.
🎯 Preparing for PM Interviews?
Don’t wait until you start job hunting.
Interviews are not events — they’re skills.
And like any skill, you should train regularly, not cram.
Write answers. Say them out loud. Record yourself. Ask a friend for feedback.
Start here:
Interviewing.io — mock interviews with real PMs. The closest simulation to the real thing.
Exponent — peer practice, video lessons, and coaching sessions.
PM Exercises — daily prompts for product, feature, and analytics challenges.
Daily Product Prep — bite-sized daily questions to sharpen your thinking.
HelloPM — templates, guides, and problem sets for structured prep.
Product Manager HQ — questions for all interview types + walkthroughs.
Product School Interview DB — one of the biggest interview databases, filtered by company and question type.
📌 Weekly practice beats “reading one more article.”
Set a goal: one question or mock task per week — with reflection and feedback.
When your real shot comes — you’ll be ready.
🛠 Real-World Practice at Work (The Missing 70%)
This is the most powerful growth lever — and the most underrated one.
We often think “learning” means signing up for a course.
But in reality, it’s doing — inside the mess of real product work — where real skills form.
And the best part?
You don’t need a promotion, a new job, or permission to start.
Here’s what you can do right now — no budget, no title, no perfect timing:
Write hypotheses for every task — even if no one asks you to.
Not “add a button,” but:
“If we simplify the first step of sign-up, we’ll increase CR by 10%.”
This mindset shifts how you see the backlog — and your role in it.Launch a side project using Notion, Glide, n8n, Tally, or Webflow.
Could be an internal tool or a mini-product for friends.
Just going from idea to MVP is more valuable than ten tutorials.Ask for reviews and feedback — even if it’s not expected.
Ask your analyst to walk you through a funnel.
Share your user story draft with a designer.
Discuss with an engineer how to simplify the build.
That’s growth.Run a user interview — formal or informal.
Even if you’re not the PM.
Ask support what users complain about most.
Run a quick discovery using The Mom Test script.
Any real user contact = levelling up.Build a dashboard if it doesn’t exist. Or improve the current one.
Goal: Understand what’s happening in the product without asking your analyst.
Even if it’s just a Google Sheet or Amplitude chart — it matters.Do a monthly retro — for yourself.
What did you learn?
Which bets flopped?
What will you try again?
Without reflection, self-growth is just busywork.Write.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a Notion doc, LinkedIn post, or email to a friend.
Writing your product thinking makes it sharper.
📌 Here’s a simple rule:
If you regularly stretch beyond your comfort zone — you’re growing.
If you’re only closing Jira tickets — you’re working, not developing.
🚫 Don’t wait for “the right moment.”
Growth doesn’t start when someone gives you a title.
It starts the moment you act like a product manager — even if your job title says otherwise.
🚀 Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter where you are right now:
– Just starting out and unsure where to begin
– Feeling stuck in PM routine
– Wanting to level up but lacking confidence
What matters is this: don’t wait for perfect conditions.
Pick 1–2 areas. Add practice. Start moving.
Even 15 minutes a day can shift your entire trajectory.
Write notes. Analyze other people’s decisions.
Form hypotheses even when no one asks you to.
You don’t need a new job to get stronger.
Get stronger — and the right job will find you🫵
Keep reading Atomic Product!
A blog that cuts through the BS and speaks product in practical terms.
— Dmytro