From Biochemistry to Digital Marketing: How I Broadened My Career Path
Tiago Braga Carlos, Graduate
Account Manager
Product Management Program
with your Bildungsgutschein
Become a product manager
in 7 months
Get career coaching
to help you land a job
Work with expert mentors
and build your portfolio
Get a free
Product Management short course
Get a free
Product Management short course
Curious about this program?
Contact us to find out if it’s right for you
“How would you like to get in touch?”
“I’m here to help you become a product manager”
Alana, Senior Program Advisor
Curious about this program?
Contact us to find out if it’s right for you
“How would you like to get in touch?”
“I’m here to help you become a product manager”
Alana, Senior Program Advisor
Our graduates now have tech jobs all over the world
Currently unemployed and registered in Germany?
You could be eligible to take our Product Management Program for free
CareerFoundry’s Product Management Program has been officially certified by DEKRA, which means you can take the program free of charge with a Bildungsgutschein.
Not sure what a Bildungsgutschein is?
A Bildungsgutschein is an educational voucher issued by the German Employment Agency (the Agentur für Arbeit). If you’re unemployed and officially registered in Germany, a Bildungsgutschein will enable you to learn new, in-demand skills for free.
Read on to discover how you can use the Bildungsgutschein to become a fully-fledged product manager in a matter of months with the CareerFoundry Product Management Program!
Product Management Program details
In this program, you will
Learn all of the skills, tools, and processes you need to become a product manager
Work 1:1 with an expert mentor and tutor, who will give personalized feedback and insight into the daily life of a product manager
Receive tailored coaching from our Career Services Team to ensure you stand out at interviews
Build an impressive portfolio out of the real-world projects you complete
Land a job as a product manager with the help of our Career Specialists
Fully online
3.5 months at 40 hrs/week or 7 months at 20 hrs/week
Mentorship
Our product management mentors are rated 4.89/5
Career support
Job Preparation Course and expert career coaching included
Why become a product manager?
A job you will love
Product management is a satisfying job if you enjoy strategy, human-centric solutions, and aligning your team towards a common vision. Product management was rated in Career Karma's top 30 tech jobs in 2022.
High demand means high pay
As the number of products continues to grow in an increasingly competitive market, there is an ever-increasing demand for product managers. According to Indeed, entry-level product managers in the U.S. can earn an average of $89,536 a year—almost $40,000 above the average salary.
A flexible career path
As a product manager, you'll have the opportunity to work for startups, agencies, and large corporations on a freelance basis, or even remotely.
Why choose CareerFoundry?
Human-centric learning
Our Dual Mentorship Model ensures that you get all the support you need. You’ll have a tutor—an experienced product manager responsible for evaluating your exercises within 24 hours of submission, and a mentor—a product management industry expert who gives detailed written, video, and on-call feedback on your portfolio pieces.
Flexibility with accountability
Study full-time for 3.5 months (40 hours/week) or part-time for 7 months (20 hours/week). Your mentor, tutor, student advisor, and career specialist will help you stay on track.
Successful, satisfied graduates
With over 90% of our eligible graduates landing a job within their new field, including at top companies like Google, Apple and Amazon, you can be confident that the Product Management Program will get you where you want to go: working as a product manager in a job that you love.
I learned a lot of valuable information. I like the fact that I was able to put into practice everything I learned and that it was easy to understand because the content was organized and clear.
Adelina Ortega, Student
Success Stories
Our students go on to launch challenging new careers in the tech industry
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Alice Ruiz Pereda
UX Designer at Mikata Health
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From Print Publishing to Digital Design: How I Retrained To Stay Relevant in a Changing Industry
Gaelle Monin, Graduate
UX/UI Designer at Pixel Fridge
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Portfolio projects
Our graduates now work at...
What do you need to take the Product Management Program with a Bildungsgutschein?
What you need:
You may be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein (training voucher from the Agentur für Arbeit) if you are currently unemployed or facing the possibility of unemployment. You'll also need:
Proof of residency in Germany
The Bildungsgutschein program is only available for German residents who are in possession of their Anmeldebescheinigung (proof that you are registered and living in Germany).
Time to dedicate weekly to the course
You'll need to dedicate 20 hours per week if you are doing the program part-time, or 40 hours per week if you are doing the program full-time.
An interest in product management
If you're already reading books and blog posts about product management, that's a great start. If you are unsure if product management is really for you, here are some great ways to explore:
- Take our free product management short course
- Get a free consultation with one of our program advisors who will give you personal feedback on which direction to go based on your interests and goals
Written and spoken English skills at a B1.2 level or higher
A computer (macOS, Windows, or Linux) with a webcam, microphone, and an internet connection
What you don’t need:
A background in product management or tech
This program is designed to take you from beginner to job-ready—regardless of your background. And now more than ever, employers see bootcamp graduates as excellent job candidates. A 2021 study by Career Karma found that companies as respected as Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are some of the largest employers of bootcamp graduates. The study also revealed that in 2020 those same companies hired up to 120% more boot camp graduates than they did the year prior!
Unlimited free time
You can study part-time with a pace of 20 hours per week to finish the course in 7 months. You can also complete the program in 3.5 months by committing 40 hours per week to the coursework.
To learn all on your own
You can enjoy the flexibility of online learning with the accountability and one-on-one attention traditionally associated with brick-and-mortar institutions. Much like a college professor might inspire you to pursue a career in a certain field, your mentor, tutor, career specialist, and student advisor will keep you motivated and on track.
To lose your unemployment benefits
While taking the Product Management Program with a Bildungsgutschein, you are still entitled to receive your unemployment benefits.
How to take our Product Management
with a Bildungsgutschein
Next start dates
I don’t have a Bildungsgutschein
How to apply for a BildungsgutscheinI already have a Bildungsgutschein
How to enroll in the CareerFoundry program1
Schedule an appointment with the Agentur für Arbeit
If you haven’t been in touch with the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter before, you can find your local center simply by searching online, e.g. “Agentur für Arbeit Berlin” or “Agentur für Arbeit near me”. Once you’ve made an appointment, you’ll be assigned an advisor.
2
Prepare for your appointment at the Agentur für Arbeit
Use our full application guide to prepare for your appointment at the Agentur für Arbeit and convince your advisor to approve your participation in the program. It covers the documents you need for the appointment.
Download our guide:
Request your personal course proposal from CareerFoundry. You might have to provide this document to the Agentur für Arbeit. It only takes a few minutes!
Any questions?
We’re here to help! Get in touch with one of our program advisors.
1
Enroll in the CareerFoundry program
The Agentur für Arbeit has issued you a Bildungsgutschein—congratulations!
Now you can begin the enrollment process. Simply press the "Start the process" button and we can walk you through the next steps.
It takes 10-14 days to complete the enrolment process, so please bear this in mind when choosing your program start date.
Any questions?
We’re here to help! Get in touch with one of our program advisors.
FAQ
1. What is a Bildungsgutschein?
A Bildungsgutschein is an educational voucher provided by the Agentur für Arbeit/Job Center for people who are unemployed or soon to be unemployed. It is a document that entitles the recipient to complete further educational training, paid for by the German government. A Bildungsgutschein is not a guaranteed benefit; the Agentur für Arbeit/Job Center is not obliged to grant one to all applicants. In order to receive an educational voucher, interested parties must meet certain requirements and only the Agentur für Arbeit/Job Center is allowed to decide on the eligibility of each individual.
2. Is CareerFoundry entitled to offer courses with a Bildungsgutschein?
All providers who wish to offer courses with an educational voucher (Bildungsgutschein) on behalf of the Agentur für Arbeit (employment agency) must first undergo a rigorous certification process in order to check the quality of the courses offered. Only then are they included in the Agentur für Arbeit's official list of course providers (New Plan).
CareerFoundry has successfully completed this process in accordance with the guidelines set out by AZAV (Akkreditierungs- und Zulassungsverordnung Arbeitsförderung—Accreditation and Licensing Regulation for Employment Promotion), and, as a DEKRA-certified educational provider, is permitted to accept educational vouchers in accordance with AZAV.
3. How can I get a Bildungsgutschein?
In order to receive a Bildungsgutschein, you need to make an appointment with your local Agentur für Arbeit/Jobcenter so that they can check whether you meet all the necessary requirements. You will be assigned a contact person who will check whether or not you are eligible for a Bildungsgutschein. You can find your local Agentur für Arbeit via a quick Google search. Simply type in your city and “Agentur für Arbeit”.
4. How do I know if I am eligible for a Bildungsgutschein?
CareerFoundry cannot legally advise on eligibility. You need to approach your nearest Agentur für Arbeit/Job Center in order to discuss your personal case with someone from that institution. They will tell you if you meet the criteria for a Bildungsgutschein.
5. Do you have a Maßnahmennummer (course number) you can provide me with?
The official course number for our certified program is: Product Management Program, full-time (3.5 months): 922 / 198 / 2023, valid from 19.04.2023 - 18.04.2026; Product Management Program, part-time (7 months): 922 / 284 / 2023, valid from 19.04.2023 - 18.04.2026.
6. What are the differences between the programs for private customers and students with a Bildungsgutschein?
In terms of quality, there is no difference between the programs offered to private customers and the programs offered to students with a Bildungsgutschein. However, the programs offered via the Agentur für Arbeit do not include specialization courses due to time constraints. Students with a Bildungsgutschein tend to take the program on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) and have less flexibility in terms of time, as online attendance is compulsory. Please consider that there is also no money-back guarantee for students with an educational voucher.
7. What are the prerequisites and requirements for the program?
This program is designed with the absolute beginner in mind—so whether you’re brand new to product management or you’ve dabbled in it and want to formalize your knowledge and skills, this program is an excellent way to formalize your expertise and kickstart a career.
You don’t need to have experience in product management or tech to succeed in this program! Regardless of your age or background, we’ve built a learning experience that will help ensure your success—from the curriculum and hands-on exercises, to the mentorship and support you’ll receive along the way.
All you need to be successful in this program is:
- The motivation to transform your career
- An interest in product management
- Written and spoken English skills at a level B2 or higher
- A computer (macOS, Windows, or Linux) with a webcam, microphone, and an internet connection.
*Note that you will be required to invest some independent study time into familiarizing yourself with the tools you’ll use throughout the program, and learning how to use them. It is estimated that you will need to spend an additional 1-2 hours per week of extracurricular study time becoming comfortable with them.
8. Which tools will I use and what are the costs?
Among other tools, you’ll mainly be using the tools Figma or Omnigraffle, several Google Apps such as Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, Miro or Mural, Loom or QuickTime player, and Notion.
All the tools you’ll need in this program are free to use—with no additional cost to you!
9. What are the minimum system requirements?
We recommend checking the individual system requirements for Figma on their website. For the other tools, we recommend a minimum of 4 GB of RAM on your device, but 8 GB would be preferable.
How would you like us to contact you?
Book a time to speak with a program advisor
Send us a message
What questions do you have about the program? We're happy to help.
Thank you!
Our program advisor will be in touch with you shortly.
Want to know if product management
is right for you?
Find out with a free 5-day email short course.
Thanks!
Curious about this program?
Contact us to find out if it’s right for you
“How would you like to get in touch?”
“I’m here to help you become a product manager”
Alana, Senior Program Advisor