I'm a sr. PM at Microsoft and been so for the last 8 years. I missed promo this year and may get promoted to principal next year but it doesn't excite me or motivate me anymore. I'm 43 now, and I realize I would at best be a principal PM at this pace when I retire in another 10 years (have NW of 2M already, so hoping to get to 5M and call it a day). I used to be a product dev, but I sucked at being a dev and didn't see myself growing in that track. So tried my luck by doing an MBA at a top 10 bschool and trying to get into finance. But my introvert desi ass had no luck getting into white boy clubs in banking, so got back into tech as a PM. I expected to be a GPM @ Microsoft by now, but I'm so far away from that, I'm not even thinking about it. I can blame situations to make myself feel better but that's just shifting the blame from my own shortcomings. I just couldn't get any of my managers (5 of them in last 8 years) to give me a promotion in time. Everyone said they'll review in 6 months but they left or got reorged. I am also not great at interviewing, so couldn't get into Google, Meta or Amazon where I failed in the final rounds I'm out of wits end on what to do next. I'm depressed and frustrated, and beginning to show in my work too. I can't afford to get laid off right now. Humbly asking what I should/can do next? TC:270k
Roughly your age and Indian, can understand your situation as i too feel the same many times. Hang in there and keep trying man.
With 2M now and 5M in 10 years, shouldn’t you be set and look to enjoy life?
This is what I thought too. Why would somebody want to be frustrated unnecessarily.
It doesn’t seem like you have a whole lot of drive or hunger. Phrases like “missed promo”, couldn’t do this, and couldn’t do that. The attitude you need to have is — nobody is going to buy you a free lunch, let alone just give you a promotion. Go earn it! Go find the truth from all these managers why you are not getting promoted. It seems like you settled for excuses and gave them the easy way out. On the flip side, it seems like you’ve done well for yourself financially. But maybe you need a kick in the butt. Yolo.
At this point I can only suggest to find a mentor and create a plan. Trust me, most people who achieved something big, they rocked their 40-50s. So, don't think about your age or experience for a second. Here is one helpful information to decide if you should QUIT or stay - https://youtu.be/vbAuAtx4q-M
Wtf did I just watch?
Be happy on not getting into finance. It’s typically more work and at best same money on average.
What do Project Managers actually do?
Your biggest mistake is not job hopping. Never rely on just your immediate manager to be the sole source of promotion.
This right here! 👆
Grindset I see you give great PM advice on lots of posts, can I DM?
2M including 401k funds or without it?
Might just need something new to work on. Try another company. 8 years is a long ass time
You need to find a manager who believes in you enough to mold you to get you promoted - at this point the problem is most likely you and not the managers