Student realizing that TPM/Product roles are not entry level positions. Need advice.
For context:
- Upcoming Junior in 5 year degree
- School in Canada that isn't a "target" (Carleton University), but lots of recent big tech hires, pathways to Networking Companies (Ciena, Nokia, TrendAI), Kanata North Tech Park, Shopify
- Completed 3 internship terms in TPM, upcoming year in Product Management internship @ Fortune 50 Company
I am starting to undergo the realization that TPM, Program, Product Management isn't really a junior career path. I have had success at my internships and would feel confident in being able to come back (based on my own hunch + conversations with management), but I almost have never worked with a New Grad on these teams.
Despite being a Computer Science and Business major, I'm not sure if my technical skills are good enough to be a SWE or something like that. A thought that I've had is going into Data and then getting into Management (data interests me), but I have no qualifications or knowledge for those positions. I don't even know the difference between Data Analysis, Science, and Engineering.
As my resume and skills continue to get more and more product and project management focused, I'm kind of unsure on what to do. Do I completely pivot to getting other types of internships (maybe a step down in terms of name/reputation of companies), or do I just hope I can get into some sort of APM program.
Any advice is appreciated.