"Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games" -Guns & Roses
I'm sure you have heard of the many rewarding aspects of becoming a product manager from being apart of the change you wish to see in the world to the appealing salary components. The later seems to be the driving force for some as the average salary for a Product Manager in the US is 127k according to Glassdoor or if you get with a big tech firm like Amazon, Google, or Microsoft you are closer to 160-200k not including sign-on bonuses, yearly bonuses, and RSU's.
Certainly, money shouldn't be the only reason in becoming a product manager. There are endless possibilities and rewarding aspects that make being a PM appealing like having a runway to create opportunities for the world.
From reading books, blogs, listening to podcast, and youtube channels, most jump straight into product management. The various frameworks, agile, what product management is and what is isn't along with the different skillsets that will need to be acquired for success. This can be overwhelming and confusing especially if you aren't familiar with product management.
As with any role or career it's important to know if it's something you can see yourself doing long term. This can be challenging and sometimes you may never know the answer until you do the job. By having a general idea of what you are looking for it will help to drive the decision if this is the career for you.
Hopefully the following questions can help you get started on your journey...
Questions to Ask Yourself 🧐
- Why Product Management? (This is the most important)
- Do you like solving problems?
- Are you naturally curious?
- Can you lead by influence?
- Can you execute?
- Are you empathetic?
- Are you creative?
- Do you have product sense?
- Are you strategic?
- Can you craft a vision and align it with a company's goals?
💁♀️ Tip: If you are having trouble answering the above questions take a look at the Strengths finder as it can help guide you. I recommend taking it every few years as it can change when you develop more skills.
Starting your Journey
As you start your journey into product management understanding every aspect of the role will be challenging. Most people that start out in product management don't have a mentor or a comprehensive overview of the job. This makes it tough to envision a successful career since there is no playbook that can guide you. Please remember that this is okay as Product Management is a growing multi-faceted career. It is constantly evolving so not knowing everything will never be frowned upon as long as you work towards understanding the basics to execute for your users.
“Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.— Arthur Ashe
As with any journey you start it's important to have an idea of where you are headed and how you plan to get there. So let's get started...
Do Become a Product Manager if...💯
- You love to solve user problems
- You want to make an impact on the world
- You enjoy interacting and collaborating with stakeholders
- You have an entrepreneurial spirit and mindset
- You have product sense and are naturally curious about people and the products they use
- You have vision and can help align that vision with the goals of the company
- You have strong communication skills both verbally and visually
- You like to build relationships
- Thrive in organized chaos (yes this does happen quite often)
Don't become a product manager if... ❌
- You are motivated by money — there are other ways to make money
- Don't like interacting with people, stakeholders, etc. — communication is key for Pm'ing
- You don't like answering e-mails or being in meetings — this is a part of your day-to-day
- You want to be the boss and run your own show — product management
requires leading by influence - You don't like getting uncomfortable — having courage and being able to perserve is essential
- You don't like dealing with uncertainty — unknowns are a part of the job
- You can't deal with pressure — there will be last minute requests and deadlines
- You don't like inconsistency — pivoting will be a part of your everyday
Final Words 📖
Product management is one of the most pivotal functions of any organization yet probably the least understood. The responsibilities, the day-to-day, the expectations, the skills, prioritization's, vision, mission, and goals are defined differently depending on the company. As a Product Manager you will be tasked with navigating these unknowns creating a lot of pressure to perform and if a release goes bad it will fall on the product team. Being able to navigate these challenges will ultimately determine the success of you and your product.
Although being a PM will have challenges it's a rewarding career where you have the opportunity to justify the existence of being a unicorn. Product Management is a calling and you kind of just know when it works for you. If you have an obsession with how things work, have a burning desire to understand customers, and love helping to build new products, innovate and make an impact then Product Management is a career for you!
Next Steps 🚀
1. Take the Strengths finder
2. What is Product Management
3. 30 Questions to Determine if Product management is right for you