3 answers
Jared Chung
CareerVillage.org TeamExecutive Director at CareerVillage.org
283
Answers
Palo Alto, California
Updated
1022 views
Is the structure of the community management career path quite stable or continuing to change?
Rumor has it the community management profession is changing. Is that true? If so, does that mean that the career path is changing as well? How should our students who are interested in careers in community management (many of whom will not be entering the workforce for several years) plan to stay on top of the changes in the profession so that they can enter the workforce with the right skills and experiences to get an entry-level opportunity right after they finish their education? #community-management #career-path #community
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3 answers
Sarah Schaaf
VP Community
4
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Sarah’s Answer
The stability of a community management career path will differ depending on the company/industry and the overall understanding and value they place on communities. With the world moving more and more online every day, I believe companies are increasingly seeing the value in investing in community. One exciting thing about this work is that we have an opportunity to pave that path and help to establish this career path for those that come after us.
Some roles you might expect to see in the path of a community professional are:
VP of Community
Senior Director of Community
Director of Community
Senior Community Lead
Community Lead
Senior Community Manager
Community Manager
Community Intern
In some companies/industries, we do see a ceiling in the community management path, and in order to see professional growth, one will eventually need to move to the marketing (or another) path.
Some roles you might expect to see in the path of a community professional are:
VP of Community
Senior Director of Community
Director of Community
Senior Community Lead
Community Lead
Senior Community Manager
Community Manager
Community Intern
In some companies/industries, we do see a ceiling in the community management path, and in order to see professional growth, one will eventually need to move to the marketing (or another) path.
Ryan Paredez
Community Manager at AppDynamics
6
Answers
California, California
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hi Jared,
Good question,
Community Management is a vague career path it can mean different things to different companies. A few examples could be: Social Media, in person events, developer relations and support.
I've been a community professional for 8 years now and I've learned a lot over this time. What I personally have focused on was building out online communities (forums) as a type of support deflection and running beta programs.
There are a handful of companies that have built businesses around being a community manager.
CMX
Feverbee
Community Round Table
These are the three key groups I follow to keep up in all the trends in what is happening in the field.
Good question,
Community Management is a vague career path it can mean different things to different companies. A few examples could be: Social Media, in person events, developer relations and support.
I've been a community professional for 8 years now and I've learned a lot over this time. What I personally have focused on was building out online communities (forums) as a type of support deflection and running beta programs.
There are a handful of companies that have built businesses around being a community manager.
CMX
Feverbee
Community Round Table
These are the three key groups I follow to keep up in all the trends in what is happening in the field.
Tamanna Godara
Community Manager
2
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Tamanna’s Answer
Hi!
Many companies are focusing on building communities around their products where people voluntarily come together and talk about the products they love. The best approach is organic and not promotional. One community such as Royal Enfield's is driven mostly out of passion and the same interest (https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/our-world/forum/).
It is important to see how organically you can bring together this group and support them as Community cheerleaders. The only thing with the community is that it builds over time and is totally reciprocates the sentiments of people. It is the best place to get great feedback and test beta features.
Managing a community would help you learn so many things that you can't learn anywhere else. The structure might differ depending upon what time of engagement you are supporting with every community but it is definitely a great path to learn and grow.
Many companies are focusing on building communities around their products where people voluntarily come together and talk about the products they love. The best approach is organic and not promotional. One community such as Royal Enfield's is driven mostly out of passion and the same interest (https://www.royalenfield.com/in/en/our-world/forum/).
It is important to see how organically you can bring together this group and support them as Community cheerleaders. The only thing with the community is that it builds over time and is totally reciprocates the sentiments of people. It is the best place to get great feedback and test beta features.
Managing a community would help you learn so many things that you can't learn anywhere else. The structure might differ depending upon what time of engagement you are supporting with every community but it is definitely a great path to learn and grow.