As a product manager with a mechanical engineering background, I often get asked why I chose this career path. The truth is, I owe my product thinking to my engineering roots. You see, engineering is not just about building machines or structures. It is about applying science to solve problems and create value. It is about asking questions like, How do things work? Why do they work the way they do? How can they be improved or changed? These are the same questions that drive product management. In fact, there is a term for this approach: first principles thinking.
But product management is not just about science. It is also about technology, business, design, and communication. That’s why I have been learning from various courses and people who have expertise in these areas. I believe that knowledge is everywhere, and anyone can learn anything if they have the passion and willingness to do so.
One of the things that fuels my passion for product management is my entrepreneurial spirit. I love to explore new opportunities and challenges in the market and create products that can make a difference. I started my own startup when I was in college and learned a lot from that experience. I also enjoy reading books, listening to podcasts, and attending events that inspire me to innovate and grow as a product manager.
As Einstein said, “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Below are some of the courses that have helped me learn the rules and play better in the game of product management.
PM School
The PM school is my virtual destination of choice, where I can immerse myself in the world of product management. I am grateful for the PM family, who are always ready to answer my queries and share their insights. The course equips me with the essential skills and knowledge to become a successful product manager. I learn how product managers tackle complex problems, and what are the best practices that help me improve my product management skills every day. I acquire the ability to understand customer needs and pain points, perform market research and competitive analysis, measure success metrics and run experiments, plan design sprints, and user journeys, prioritize roadmaps and set up OKRs, and much more. I also apply my learnings to various challenges and projects that mimic real-world product situations.
Tech Talk For Non Developers
Just like a system needs programming, a developer needs communication. As a product manager, I spend most of my time working with developers and sharing my requirements with them. Communicating my requirements in a technical way is what developers appreciate and trust the most. It helps them understand what I want and how I want it. It also helps me avoid misunderstandings, errors, or delays in the product development process.
This course helped me learn all the tech jargon and concepts that are essential for product management. It taught me how to speak the same language as the developers and make the better technical decision.
