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Prabhu Neethi Tarang Rayi – Senior Product Manager at Target
There was a time when my career felt like running on a treadmill. I was moving a lot but not getting anywhere. As a project manager, I was primarily responsible for operational and, to be honest, repetitive tasks. I didn’t see a clear path for advancement in that position or in the service sector, and my abilities felt static. I want to talk about how I overcame the sense of being stuck and moved into a Senior Product Manager position, where I found a new sense of impact and purpose.
Before I transitioned, I was primarily working in project management for a service organization, and my work was primarily operational. I was necessarily managing processes, but it was repetitive engagement and my development stopped, which led me to realize the ceiling for growth in this position and industry was not high. Subsequently, I had a strong urge to take an action to move to another role.
The turning point came when I engaged with the Institute of Product Leadership (IPL). They used a “career iPad test” and guided exercises to help me understand my purpose and goals. Through this, I got to know that i have a strong passion for products and the end customers. I became aware of my obsession with customers. I realized that product leadership was the best course of action as a result of this clarity. A title wasn’t the point. It has to do with matching my work to my sources of energy.
Once I understood my “why,” the “how” was clearer, with organized supports:
Transitioning from an operational project management role to strategic product leadership competed with its challenges. However, the systematized learning and support made the experience both feasible and rewarding.
I currently focus on database engineering as a Senior Product Manager at Target Corporation. I love my job. I build products that provide real value for internal application teams. I determine their pain points and develop products that help them be more productive. The regular operational work I did in my former role is not at all like this. Now every day, I come up with fresh, creative answers to challenges.
For anyone thinking about making a similar job change, three lessons stick out:
Joining a program from IPL was more than taking a course. It felt like entering a lifelong support system. The network and guidance continue to help professionals transition into product roles and leadership. If you are prepared to evolve beyond operational work and create impact by solving true customer problems, product leadership can change your career.
Prabhu Neethi Tarang Rayi is a Senior Product Manager at Target Corporation, where he focuses on database engineering and builds products that deliver critical value to internal application teams. He credits the Executive MBA in Product Leadership for providing the structured learning and mentorship that enabled his transition from project management in a service organization to a leadership role in product development.
