how can an engineer transition to product marketing and use her engineering to her advantage ?

I came from a scientific background myself. I won’t lie, it was difficult. You have certain strengths and certain weaknesses as an engineer transitioning to marketing. Your goal is to highlight the strengths while neutralizing your weaknesses.

Strengths – chances are you are analytical and good at math. You are likely data-driven. Those are all strengths that marketers can benefit from. For example, as a MOPS or DemandGen marketer, it’s important to have a strong analytical skill set.

Weaknesses – unfortunately, there is a stereotype that engineers and scientists don’t communicate well. You really have to show strong oral and verbal communication skills.

You can also use your engineering skills to your advantage by starting out as a technical product marketer or working at a company that develops products for highly technical audiences. You’ll probably understand the product much better and the users’ needs and language. As an engineer, you’ll also have much more credibility with the customer as well. You can transition to more traditional product marketing from there.