933: How to Break Into Program Management in Tech With Emily Cunningham, Lyft [Espresso Shots]

Emily Cunningham is the senior business program manager at Lyft,* dedicated to building workplace culture. She is also a member of the board of directors at ColorStack, a group that works towards increasing the entrance, retention and success of Black and Latinx students going for technical careers. Previously, Emily worked as a senior business program manager at Microsoft and as a technical recruiter for LinkedIn. Emily graduated from Howard University in 2012 with a B.A. in economics. *Since our interview with Emily she’s moved to Square as a Program Manager, Talent Enablement. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: What program management is (4:32) What transferable hard and soft skills are useful in program management (6:54) How you can go into program management from any major (8:45) Why program management is so fulfilling (12:55) How program management can resemble a group project in class (14:03) How if you prove your value, the rest will follow (15:43) Why a chief of staff in a show like House of Cards is like program management (16:38) How much power you have as a program manager (17:54) If you want to learn what Emily does as a senior business program manager and how she built her career check out T4C episode #796