Product Gym by Elevate

Prior to joining PG, I actually had a good conversion rate of applications to first and second round interviews. But I really struggled at converting second and above interviews to offers and was seeking help to tell my story effectively in interviews. I did a lot of research reading PG reviews for the past year and LinkedIn stalking graduates to verify claims before pulling the trigger. Once in the program I was pleased with the program’s amazing structure and community which seemed so supportive! The classes are recorded and great to listen through if you can’t attend live. I love that there’s a channel to see everyone’s progress from application to offer - it’s a big motivation to keep your momentum going. The biggest con to me was the branding phase. I could not pass because I fundamentally disagreed with the reviewers. I felt like they wanted me to fabricate parts of my story to fit their very narrow and generic resume template. I ended up getting offers through networking outside of PG. Overall I think the program does what it purports, which is to get its members offers. Is it worth the 6K I paid? Possibly if I can get to the interview coaching I actually need. 

I was at a turning point in my career where I felt I needed to be challenged and be in an environment where I can move fast and see results. My first time going through the lessons was a breeze, because I really treated it as a gym where you go through the motions preached day in and day out by the coaches. I saw results a few months into the process, where the conversions from applications led to many rounds of interviews. That is when I learned that I must put in the reps and keep at it. This is not a simple bootcamp, especially when you’re in a non-tech role trying to transition to tech. What you are looking at is a bootcamp that will change your perspective and mindset on how you approach everything from making career changes to decisions about life. If you are dead set on making a positive change, then this is a program you should consider seriously. 

Highly recommended, this is the real deal! In Product Gym they say, “this is a gym and not a spa”, it’s not going to be easy but anything worth getting takes work. You get what you put into it. The resources/knowledge available are outstanding, above and beyond what you could find any where else. You need to put in the time, the effort and be consistent through out the whole process (very much like the gym). The results will come, and it will pay dividends! I only wish I had done this sooner. The community is amazing and supportive, great coaches and knowledgeable instructors.

I've been blown away by the rigor I have learned to develop while in PG and the system they have set up to make sure I get a fair chance at the job I want. Kudos to Cody, Rich and the team of coaches in teaching us the right mindset and skills to crack a PM job. When I looked at my work history, I knew I had significant PM work but it was with PG that it came to light. Without PG, I don't think I would have been able to secure so many interviews and rounds and part of the reason is that they understand the hiring cycle really well. 

I want to also thank the community that was built in making this a collaborative, friendly space for us to share lessons learned and help each other as we searched for the right opportunity. I would 100% recommend PG to anyone wanting to break into Product roles and let them know the process works!

The right review is the one that also helps the business improve so here are my two cents as a member of PG on things they can improve on:
1. Circle and Jira are not good. The whole point with PG was that the fees more than make up for the time I would lose in salary terms if I did this alone. Time is money here. If I'm waiting for a day or two because notifications on Circle are poor, that defeats this. Same with Jira emails. I'd rather have an annoying Slack or Discord pinging me all day with notifications of something I need quick help on.
2. The whole non-target city doesn't work post COVID and PG needs to work on this. It's more non-target companies (that may be in your own city) versus ones you want to work in that offer remote. Many companies I applied that said 'NYC' later said we offer remote so it ruined the staggering of offers for me because they became very attractive companies and this is sometimes realized in later interviews.
3. There should be some kind of Zoom allowance or the platform they use should have event management features since many of us members get together to practice and PG would benefit by adding structure to this and bringing it in-house.

I began my Product Gym experience at a time when I was struggling to convert interviews into offers as an experienced product manager. I first found Product Gym’s free resources online via their blog and Youtube and was blown away at what I was learning. Since joining Product Gym, I have developed a sense of confidence and expertise to confidently secure offers at top firms as well as built a community of other like-minded professionals. There simply is no other program like Product Gym with strong resources and coaching for aspiring and experienced product managers. I highly recommend this program for any professional who wants to excel as a top-paid, top performing product manager. Although my biggest challenge with Product Gym was the investment (both financial and of my time spent completing the courses and framework), I would say the reward outweighed the challenge: since joining, I received an offer that has DOUBLED my top compensation from my previous role as a PM at a top financial services firm. 

Product Gym was easily worth the investment. It was what finally helped me to break into product management after many months of trying alone unsuccessfully. Breaking into PM is hard, and if you think you can go at it alone, you’re welcome to try (personally, I got 0 interviews when going at it alone). When that doesn’t work out, there’s always going to be the community at Product Gym. They’re going to teach you all things product management, help you with branding, every step of the interview process, as well as what to do after you receive an offer. It got me into the best position to compete for PM jobs, and I’m fortunate to say that it worked out.