As a student in the MQM program in 2019, I knew I was interested in working at the intersection of analytics and business in a product-based role. I looked at all kinds of jobs that fall under that umbrella and eventually found Gartner at a Fuqua career panel. Here’s a look at how my career has developed since then.

Networking with Fuqua Alumni

I met a Fuqua alumnus working at Gartner during that panel. At the time, he was working on a client product consulting role within the company. My connection with him and my coursework in the MQM program helped me land an interview with Gartner. While the role wasn’t what I initially thought of when targeting product, it ended up being a great fit for my interests.

As a product consultant, I worked with product managers and product marketing managers to achieve and maintain their priorities. It allowed me to learn more about what they needed to do their jobs, fueling my interest in product management.

The Door into Product Management

My manager and Gartner were supportive of my interest in product management. After about a year and a half, I transitioned into that side of the business. Now, I serve as a bridge between the consumers and the IT professionals. Much of my work involves understanding how people will use our software and then working with software engineers to meet their needs.

The important part about starting as a product consultant and growing within the company is that I have the opportunity to build on my expertise from role to role. When I first started, I underestimated the importance of listening. My priority then, as it is now, was to make the most of every interaction I had by asking informed questions and uncovering the insights that were valuable to my team and to the customer. Once I accomplished that, I was surprised by how much I came to enjoy my day-to-day meetings, calls, and other interactions.

With that foundation, my data analytics skills learned in the MQM program became a key part of my career development. In an interview with Fuqua’s Admissions team, I shared how data is at the center of my responsibilities as a senior product manager at Gartner. You can watch that here: