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The Perils of Being a 21 Year-Old Product Manager
- Hydraulix989 10y agoCalling a "product manager" a "strategic leader" is a bit of an exaggeration. At most tech companies, entry-level software engineers are on the same "level" in the corporate hierarchy as "product managers," and product managers aren't "managers" in the same sense that they are managers of people -- they actually don't have anyone under them, they are only managers of the product itself. Yes, in some sense, everybody is a strategic leader -- even engineers at big companies, but this argument is really just a pleasantry.
- Daviey 10y agoA good product manager is a manager of other product managers, that happen to not be product managers.
- Hydraulix989 10y agoYes, and that's in my latter pleasantry category -- you're still effectively on the bottom rung (assuming you aren't a Product Manager II or a Senior Product Manager).
- k__ 10y agoMany people think if they got "Manager" in their job description they're suddendly cream of the crop. I worked with two <25 year old PMs and none of them had any clue what PM is, they just did some pre-sales stuff. He's only 21, so don't be too hard on him.
- Hydraulix989 10y agoRight, I wouldn't call it "perilous," but hey, there's plenty of rhetoric on this site that I disagree with.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 10y agoA bit off topic, but is it ubiquitous throughout the industry that product. managers are on the same rung of the ladder as entry level software engineers? At a previous gig, the lead Android device transitioned to being a product manager and I assumed that it as a step up. Granted, the CEO of the company had a background in pre-web marketing surveys, so it was a tech company in name but not culture.
- typetypetype 10y agoSo much of being a good product/project/general manager is watching out for and avoiding pitfalls you have experienced previously.
- onion2k 10y agoOr being good at listening to, understanding, and learning from other people's experiences to recognise those pitfalls when you encounter them yourself. This is exactly why accelerators like YC put so much emphasis on mentoring. Being able to talk to someone who has already been through something makes you much less likely to handle a similar situation poorly. You don't have to have direct experience of a pitfall yourself to understand it.
- jbob2000 10y agoAt 21, your title is just meaningless words to sucker you into working longer hours. The unfortunate thing for the author is that he thinks he's learned something about being a good PM, but he's really just learned how to be a good junior; "listen to the experts and leave your ego at the door". To me a product manager needs to have vision and empathy. Vision, to know where the product needs to be in 5 years. And empathy to be able to truly understand your users needs. From the article, it doesn't sound like the author learned these things.
- GuiA 10y ago> At 21, your title is just meaningless words to sucker you into working longer hours Hah! Having been made "VP of Engineering" at 22 by a rich asshole who treated me like dirt until I left his company 2 years later, this quote resonates.
- meira 10y agoI feel so stupid growing older and remember that I used to think and express myself like him (in this subject). Youth is totally overrated, at tech, arts, sports...
- ariendj 10y agoThe autor wrote a long humblebrag post. A 21 year old kid does not have the experience it takes to lead.
- onion2k 10y agoA talented 21 year old could have 10 years experience working on software projects with 5 years leading a team on product strategy. It's unusual but it's not unheard of, especially with today's level of access to computers and programming languages. 10 years ago was 2006 - every browser was a programming environment even then. Equally possible, a 51 year old might have spent the previous 50 years in non-management roles and have no experience at all. In project management and tech, experience and age are not related.
- ariendj 10y agoBut in life they are. Try having a male virgin with no hobbies lead a team with working parents and see how that works out ;)
- onion2k 10y agoThe implication of what you're saying is that there something fundamental about gender, sexuality, outside interests, etc that stops someone being an understanding, empathic manager. That simply isn't true. Someone with any set of life circumstances can be a good manager, just as anyone can be a bad manager even if they have a very similar set of circumstances. It's management skills that dictate how good someone is at their management job, not whether they've had sex or not.