My Journey to Product Management
From a very young age, I’ve always had an innate interest in building things. Whether it was with my hands or with a cursor or keyboard, I’ve always found joy in challenging myself to make things that would positively impact other people. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to be, but I knew that I loved making MySpace layouts, making designs on Photoshop, and that my interest in technology was growing exponentially.
The very first time I heard the term “computer engineer” was when my high school pre-cal teacher played a Code.org video trying to encourage more people to study computer science in college. As I watched the video, I felt an overwhelming sense of infatuation for people who were deeply passionate about solving the world’s problems with technology- this was the moment I knew I wanted to be a computer engineer.
Now I’m in the last year of my engineering degree, and plot twist: I no longer want to be a computer engineer. Yes- I still love engineering, and yes, I still enjoy spending my time coding and constantly learning new technologies. But, the truth is, I never quite found a home in engineering.
I like to view my curiosity as a compass. At first, I followed the engineering path, absorbing as much information as I could about hardware and software through my university classes and internships. Inevitably, however, my curiosity grew in other areas, like design, technical writing, developer advocacy, business, etc. and it kept growing constantly. This cycle continued where I simultaneously wanted to stay in every single area and explore new ones, and I never found a direction where all of these different interests would converge until I learned about product management.
Product management (PM) sits at the intersection of technology, business, and design. The role of a product manager is a tough one to define, partially because the role varies by the company or team you work on, but generally, a product manager is responsible for setting a vision and strategy to solving user’s problems, turning that vision into a reality, and helping their team ship a great product. They advocate for customers and wear multiple hats to gain perspective on their needs to later translate them into product goals and features, focusing on everything from the larger vision to small details.
After getting a glimpse of product management in my most recent internship at GitHub, I felt inherently gravitated towards this path to PM where I could leverage my interests and experiences in different areas to gain perspective and collaborate with multiple teams to build amazing products. Now, after several months of studying for product management interviews, I’ve finally signed an offer to join a company I’ve admired my entire life.
I never wanted to be the best engineer, nor the best designer or developer advocate. I’ve always wanted to build impactful, innovative products, and the latitude to collaborate with passionate people trying to make it happen. There will always be an intrinsic part of me that is exploring for curiosity in other directions, and while I may find another path to go towards further in my career, I’m happy to begin my journey in product.
