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

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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