3 Ways to Survive the Recession as a Technical Program Manager

I’ve decided to leave my current role and embark on a personal development career break. With the economy in the midst of a recession and inverting of opportunity supply and demand, I am thinking strategic which means taking a pause from the LinkedIn job rat-race to focus on better developing myself as a Technical Program Manager.

I thought I would share with you my thought process as I embark on this exciting journey, but this article can apply to those that have also been forced to look for a new TPM role. But it doesn’t mean you have to solely focus on applying for jobs. I have come up with a list of 3 ways to survive the recession as a Technical Program Manager:

1. Get Certified

I have collected a few certifications over my 20-plus career, such as PSM-Iand CSPO, but I have my eye on the Project Management Professional (PMP)certification, which takes at least a month to prepare for. I can certainly also look at upgrading my other certifications, such as obtaining a Sigma Six Yellow belt and PSM-II certification.

2. Get Technical

Don’t neglect the T in Technical Program Manager! Since you did your computer science degree, there have been numerous technologies that have come (and gone). I would look into some LinkedIn Learning or Udemy courses to brush up on your systems design, and various select technologies.

For me, I am looking at the emerging ChatGPT and Generative AI, various web technologies such as Kubernetes and Kafka, and Swift (my passion language). Take a look at the jobs out there on the market and use that as a guide for where you want to be.

Wouldn’t hurt to also add some code to your GitHub profile if it’s been while. The proof is in the pushing (pudding).

3. Take a Step Back if Necessary

In military terms, a strategic retreat allows you to gain better perspective and re-allocate focus more appropriately. In times like these, with scarce opportunities out there, it’s okay to pick up a contract job or even a less paying job. It could be an opportunity for you to learn a new tech stack, perhaps pivot from TPM to PMT (technical product manager) or something else altogether. There’s no shame in that, and you can use the time to plan for the bigger picture.

Ad a TPM, you continuously execute projects with set goals, maintain risk registers and balance tech debt. It’s high time you focus on yourself as well, and not only the job applications out there.