Can a non-engineer enter IT consulting and shift to product management?

Yes, non-engineers can enter IT consulting strategic arm then shift to product management - the OP himself is a non-engineer who took this route successfully. His confirmation - "Yes. Very much possible. I know people who have done this" and his current switch is "into Digital Strategy role for a product based company. More on marketing and data analytics." Path for non-engineer to IT strategy to Product Management:

1. MBA at decent college (new IIM and above),

1. Campus placement at IT strategic arm (TCS Consulting, Accenture Strategy, Infosys Management Consulting) - Rs 12-16 LPA joining for new IIMs,

1. Skill up on Excel, PPT, Tableau/Power BI, SQL basics during 1-3 years of consulting,

1. Move to product management via internal role change or lateral hire at product companies (Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, early-stage startups),

1. PM roles typically pay Rs 25-40 LPA for 3-5 year experienced hires. Non-engineer-specific challenges in IT consulting:

1. Initial learning curve on tech concepts is steeper,

1. Tech stakeholder conversations need active upskilling,

1. Product management interviews test tech intuition even for non-tech PMs. Mitigation:

1. Take Excel + PowerBI courses before MBA (OP explicitly recommended this),

1. Learn SQL and basic Python during MBA free time,

1. Read Cracking the PM Interview by Gayle McDowell,

1. Do PM live projects at startups during MBA. Digital strategy roles combine marketing, data analytics, and tech - naturally suited for non-engineers with business acumen. These roles at product companies pay Rs 30-45 LPA at 3-5 year post-MBA mark. For non-engineers stuck choosing between IT consulting and generic marketing/sales roles, IT consulting gives better exit options for PM/product strategy long-term. Take the tech-adjacent consulting role even if you feel underprepared initially - 2 years of experience builds tech fluency. Avoid IT sales/implementation roles - stick to strategy/consulting/analytics side. Check your eligibility at collvera.com/eligibility