I am done with this product management shit

1. High pressure on timelines- business and top management shits on you if you don’t deliver on time 2. No power to control the outcome- engineers don’t listen to you neither does the design or analytics team, you end up begging for resources 3. Too much politics- business or a senior PM can steal your bandwidth anytime 4. Lack of recognition- if it succeeds business did it, if it fails it is product teams fault (engg never gets blamed for shit)

I know Grapevine is full of young and ambitious people that either planning to get into Product or are already working as a PM. I don’t aim to discourage any of you. Moreover, if you need tips to break into Product I would be happy to help you. I personally feel that knowing what you are doing is going to doom is better than normalizing it. So I will convey my experience in simple words, how I hated every single day of it, why did I still stick around for 4 years, why product decisions are random political bullshit, why you should not let anything that happens get under your skin and affect your morale. Finally, few words for sociopathic Head of Products. Lesson #1: Go through all stages of grief at once. Accept that product culture is broken and accept that it will not get better. Finally, you can’t fix it or improve it. Lesson #2: Ratings are political bullshit. I can tell you the years I was rated worse I was probably working harder and better at my job. It just depends on the results you get in the last month before ratings and whether your DOP is vocal for you. Lesson #3: Last piece of advice: do not let your Product years lower your self esteem or sense of self worth. Also, some words for sociopathic Head of Products. F’ you.

This is not a question for the cocky new grad in the overvalued startup, but for the few seasoned PMs that still reply out here. Where do PMs go after they peak? By peaking I mean arriving at a GPM or Staff PM position at the top 10-15 companies (you can do your own ranking here). Nobody has the true statistics but I will use the assumption that 75% (debatable) of those who peak, will get laid off within 2 years from their ‘peak role’. The remaining will be able to progress into DoP and VP in the same top company or another in the top 15. Where do they go then? I am pretty positive, from experience, that they don’t go any up. Do they go down the ladder of new startups for titles and ending up in the worst ones after being laid off 4-5 times? Do they quit all together? Do they open a farm? Do they start their own startup? Comments and thoughts folks!

Worst part of being an APM is to get a bad PM as a manager who only does project management and doesn't take or care about your inputs. The project managers who dont understand anything about product management and clear interviews based on their sheer blabbering skills, jargon and experience but think they are the be all and end all of everything.

I've been working as a Senior Analyst at a startup for 4+ years, and I've always wanted to become a Product Manager to make a big difference. So, I've started getting ready for it. - I've noticed a concerning trend among PMs, both through personal observation and online discussions, where they tend to overlook data integrity, opting instead to manipulate it to portray success. - I firmly believe that Product Managers play a pivotal role in taking calculated risks, fostering innovation, and ultimately ensuring the success of their products. - Despite being well-compensated in my current position, my drive to optimize the top of the funnel compels me to pursue a career shift into Product Management. - I firmly believe that power within a company comes with a corresponding responsibility. - It's evident that many PMs are fighting with dissatisfaction, often experiencing high levels of stress and unhappiness. I'm keen to understand the root causes of this discontent and how professionals in this field are managing such challenges. - Despite being inherently talented individuals, why does Product Management seem to come with such a significant stress burden?

As a PM I would say it is to delivery high quality product in less time. 🕰️

Do you think pure product managers with no technical background add value to your company? Aren't experienced project managers with penchant for business more suitable for this role?

Ask me anything except my company name, or things that can reveal my identity. I may respectfully choose not to respond to your question based on my own judgement. Here’s a brief intro about me: I’ve worked as both software engineering manager & software technical architect over the last 18+ years on various tech stacks managing backend, frontend and a little bit of cloud. I have seen ups and downs in the software industry. Currently I’m working as a senior architect in one of the product based companies in India.