Have fun proving them wrong: My path to Product Management.
Photo by Lorenzo Herrera on Unsplash
I’ve loved computers as far as I can remember. When I was 10 (early 2000s) my parents got us our first desktop computer back in Morocco. The hardware was basic but it worked and very quickly I started wondering how this all worked. I started opening the guts of computers and understanding what every component was for and how to fine tune them to reach the level of performance I expected to play my favorite games (behold Age of Empires II fans!).
Fast forward to 2005, we finally got high speed unlimited internet at home (in France this time) and this is where it all came together. I started being curious about how this whole thing works and decided to make my own websites. Very quickly the pieces started falling together. I learnt xHMTL, CSS, web hosting, file management, databases, backend vs front end etc… And then, came the business aspect, what about monetizing my sites? Lucky for me, Google launched AdSense in 2003 and I didn’t miss the fun wagon. I instantly fell in love with the model of creating content and sites out of thin air and started making money! My parents started asking me questions about how I was making money and had a hard time understanding how a teenager sitting in front of a screen could do so. Hard to fathom for them who didn’t have the chance to grow up with computers at home.
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
Postgrad
In 2015 I finally graduated but instead of computer science I followed a business track. Luckily I built my technical chops on the internet throughout the years and was fascinated with how economics work and what strategies to adopt to get companies off the ground. I also built (through online advertising) affinity with the marketing aspect of the business. Through college I also started a few ventures: Making websites online for small businesses: my favorite catchphrase was “Hey, would you like to have your business card online?”. That almost immediately hooked small business owners. Low prices, fast turn around, minimal designs and reliability quickly allowed me to make rent money. I also made some money playing music in clubs while in college, the best way to go out without paying for drinks :)
Although you can start tracing some aspects of the Product Manager role through this story (business savvy, hustler, creative, technical…), it wasn’t until 2019 that I finally reached my goal of becoming a PM in a tech company (my dream tech company). Now here’s the fun part, I’ve been told countless times “You won’t make it, just forget about it.”, “You’re not technical, you will never pass the technical interviews”, “You haven’t been to an Ivy League and all my PM friends did”. Oh boy, I enjoyed proving them all wrong!
One blocker I also faced from potential coaches was around the fact that today so many people want to be a PM, it’s like the investment banking jobs of the 80s. All of that just made my journey much harder, having to convince the right people to vouch for me and give me a chance to prove that I was not falling for the FAD but for the job itself.
The turning point
I finally met my mentor in 2018 and that was the turning point for me. After launching a new product to start building my portfolio, he took me under his wing and helped me make the transition to the PM job which I’ve loved ever since. I can’t stress enough the importance of finding a mentor or coach to guide you through your journey. Not only they will prepare you to be a PM but they will actually make you feel like one. For those of you coming from a different job or occupation, it will take time to make the switch mentally and your mentor is there to remind you that you are a fit for that role so you can stop listening to everybody else.
As you see my journey to the PM world was tumultuous and non trivial. I had to take down some obstacles but I used them to fuel my pursuit of the role.
Not technical? Take classes online and certifications, spend countless hours reading about computer science and how the internet works. Only a few people make it every year? Spend extra hours creating quality work to be noticed by potential mentors and work on your interviews.
The lesson I learnt through this process and I would like you to take back is that regardless of what others will tell you, if you really believe that this is a career for you then buckle up and enjoy proving them wrong as much as I did. Another important point I got from trying to become a PM is the learning process helped me grow in so many aspects. I built a solid technical basis which would have allowed me to get less technical PM roles elsewhere, I doubled down on my strengths around strategy, built up my negotiation skills and creative side. I like to think that through your journey to Product Management you’re becoming like a Swiss knife and regardless of you landing the job you will build strong skills that will allow you to pursue different careers.
As a closing thought, try to find what is your ‘superpower’. My mentor always tells me “Every PM has a super power” and I recommend identifying yours. It will help you find out where to progress and how to strengthen that skill. In my case, my superpower is my people skills which allows me to navigate tricky stakeholder management and reach consensus on sometimes contentious negotiations.
Feel free to read my other article about how to prepare best for your PM journey, I compiled all the resources that helped me get there and I hope will help you too.
— Darbi.
