Over the last few years, Booth students have been increasingly interested in pivoting to the technology industry post-business school. Just this year, tech became one of the Top 3 industries that Booth students recruited for. As Booth Technology Group (BTG) co-chairs, we love seeing an increasing interest in the tech industry and were excited as we set out to plan the annual BTG PM/PMM workshop this year. This event brings tech industry leaders to campus to practice product-focused cases with students.
The workshop, which initially started as a small event with 3-4 in-person panelists, has grown into a large, virtual event with 8-10 tech leaders and over 100 student attendees. This year, we were motivated to plan a workshop that was not only bigger but also represented a variety of careers that reflect student interests.
We worked with the Kilts Center for Marketing to source 15 amazing alumni who have experience in product management, product marketing management, and product strategy roles across big tech, growth-stage companies, and tech startups. The aim of the workshop is twofold; first, to give Booth students exposure to incredible professionals in the tech industry; and two, to have these alumni share their insights into how students should best prepare for product case interviews.
During the event, groups of 10 interacted and practiced cases with three industry professionals. Conversations ranged from how to design a product from scratch, to what a product strategy role at a big-tech company looks like, to the similarities and differences between big and small tech firms.
We, as the BTG co-chairs, were elated when we realized that this year’s PM/PMM workshop had the largest turnout both in terms of attendees (170+) and panelists (15). This was the perfect way for us to pay it forward to the Booth tech community. As second-year students who had greatly benefited from this same event last year, we were grateful that we had the opportunity to help current Booth students better prepare for their tech recruiting journeys.
It was also heartwarming for us to see how so many Booth alumni took hours out of their weekends to give back and help students prepare for their professional journeys. At Booth, we pride ourselves on having a supportive community that is invested in the growth and success of others. This year’s workshop was a perfect example of Booth’s pay-it-forward culture. While planning a large-scale event of this size definitely came with its own set of challenges, we found it really gratifying when workshop attendees reached out to us at the end of the event letting us know how helpful the workshop was to them.
Our hope is that this workshop continues to get bigger and better in the years to come, and that one day we will have the opportunity to participate in the workshop as speakers ourselves, and continue paying it forward to our amazing Booth tech community.
Contributing Authors: Erika Gomez, Kylie McCarter, Leila Bushman, Priyanka Mangtani, Prachi Kulkarni, Sean Wareham, Yashaswini (Yashu) Madhavan
The Kilts Center for Marketing supports student group events and hosts events and programs throughout the academic year that showcase the breadth and depth of marketing skills across job functions and industries. Learn more about the Kilts Center and stay up to date on Booth marketing community news, successes, and events by following the Kilts Center on LinkedIn.
