Published on February 28, 2022

Self study guide: Product Management and Management Consulting career

The Motivation

I would describe my self as a born artist not because I’m the next Da Vinci or Picasso but because since my childhood creating things was my way of life. Starting with drawing which faded away midway highschool.

Discovering programming in my teen-ages awakened my creative side. With enough lines of codes there lies an opportunity to bring to life things never imagined. I lost my self in it, learned my languages, read the documentations, dropped out of college and started a software engineering career.

The last two years though have unveiled two sad truths (personally): first is the realization that as a software engineer you are not creating but rather building a product. Second is the immense distance between you, the other aspects of the product and the end-user. As a software engineer, most of the times, you end-up putting pieces of codes together to deliver what is asked from but you without control on what to build.

Two years ago while working as a software engineer for a FinTech startup, our small team started to grow rapidly. Being among the few engineers who had been with the startup longer, I informally took on the responsibilities of a product manager. The sharp contrast between my contribution as a product manager and as a software engineer tuned out to be what I was longing for. Discussing and creating the product strategy, learning the ins-and-out of design and working with designers, building and managing product development teams, collaborating with marketing, sales and customer support, I had found where I belonged.

That experience left me wanting more, and here I am.

I took it on myself to do my research and understand the product management career. At the pinacle, there is the Product Leader which is not an actual job title but rather an emblem for being a fervent champion of the product within a company. And to get there Product Management is the starting point with Management Consulting a worth stop on the way to expand your harrison.

The Learning

Unlike software engineering, product management and management consulting are very selective fields, with the later being a job entirely reserved to MBA graduates. You’ve got to be credible as a business consultant. Relevant degrees in business fields, years of successful experience in a business role, or unusual expertise or skills are typically the only way you can gain and demonstrate the needed credibility.

Being from a self-taught background and a would be champion of the "self-education in the only education there is" world, this presents a worthy challenge. How do I break in?

With a little bit of strategy thinking, here is the plan:

—> Guiding Principle: “LEARN and DO”

If you truly throw your self into something, it is not hard to reach a level of competence that will enable you to find opportunities that put you in a position to keep learning and growing.

—> Actionable items

[] DIY MBA course: this is not really a course but rather a reading lit inspired by Josh Kaufman’s “The personal MBA” and the accompanying reading list. [The List: 120+ business books]

[] Start doing the job of a PM: sign up for freelancing websites, offer to solve problems- they are not scarce but people willing to try and solve them are.

[] Create a product and learn to scale: there is no amount of learning that will make one a Product Manager or Management Consultant, doing the job is the only way to be one. And where can you better learn than when building a product on which you have full authority on?

[] Integrate your-self into the community: local businesses and groups. A continued engagement with product communities "helps learn the language of the trade"

[] Develop a public profile: PMs are keen communicators. Start off with a blog, write about products you want to be an expert in. Talk about how you would market a new or existing product, write product tear-downs, discuss what features you would add to a product and why. You can even talk about what user experience changes you would make to a product.

[] Short-term PM course: while a preferable first option, the best ones are expensive and and the experience is still questionable. Read the books, blogs and listen to professionals. Comeback and take deep dive courses. Some options: The Product School, HEC Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship and Boston University Digital Transformation Leadership

What now?

Take the right next step: Learn and Gain experience from doing the actual job.

… but last, and a public announcement

I’m looking for an Associate Product Manager role and if your product really aligns with my goals I’ll volunteer with you. For over 3+ years I’ve been building SAAS products from FinTech to HealthCare solutions. I’ll work with you to build a successful product. I’ll search the market for the target user, use design thinking to create a prototype that will validate your assumptions, manage the development/execution and orchestrate an impactful launch.