5 answers
Chloe
Student
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
9
Questions
Asked
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Feeling lost - working as PM for 3 years. Career advice please
I've been working full time for 3 years as a product manager and I still feel as lost as ever. It's hard seeing friends getting promoted and leaving the company for better opportunities, but I'm still stuck here. People say you should try as many things as possible in your 20s and I want to do that, but it's almost if I'm not given the opportunity to try different things.
I studied psychology and health science in undergrad and have been a product manager the past few years. Sometimes, I think about what if I pursued a career in healthcare...
I'm currently not in a role that I think I'm good at and I'm not in a company that I see growth in, I have been thinking about masters/MBA but that in itself requires a lot of soul searching to understand what I want out of it and I fear I don't have the answer for that besides I want to be a well rounded person as someone who didn't study business. In parallel, I've been looking for jobs the past 1.5 year and I haven't had any successes. While I'm grateful I still have a job despite all the layoffs happening, I can't help to want to 'start over' and it has really impacted my self confidence and self esteem in other parts of my life as well.
If anyone has ever been in my shoes, I would really love some guidance or share personal stories. I'm currently trying to find a career coach that can help me with this stage of my life.
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5 answers
Liam Rielly
Data Center Technician
195
Answers
Manassas, Virginia
Updated
Liam’s Answer
I'm in my mid 40's and I feel that way sometimes too!
Just go and get another job. Don't worry about getting another career, just get something that pays similar and is a different field. Every job I had enough with and left I turned around later and got a better job that paid more money. Don't be afraid to set your sights somewhere else and move in that direction.
I had my dream job. I really enjoyed showing up, direct contact with clients, working on all sorts of machinery, and playing with all sorts of test equipment. This was a job I felt I was good at, and I think the people at my job agreed that I was pretty good as well! The working conditions changed however. I was traveling all the time, the scope of my work was changing, and I was just not making steps forward. I decided to leave the job. I really got a vague email about working in a data center so I studied some materials and went for it. My pay was about half of what I was making but it put me close to home and working around fewer hazards. I figured out how to make a path with my new job and after a few years I got my pay higher than what I had left. That company was toxic so I made a parallel move to a company that treats their employees much better, I am happy where I am now!
I might make this sound like I am done with my journey, but I am not. I am at my next step and while I can do my work in this position, this is not the best I can give to a company. Again I am almost two decades older than you and I am looking for my next opportunity while I still am working. The difference in a move for me right now is I have more life expenses and am more rooted in an area. Think about what you are willing to give up in order to make a move, if you cannot, then start to pivot in place. I really recommend making moves that put you in different roles and trying to sell yourself up the ladder at different jobs. This was one example but I have done this a couple of times and plan to do it at least once more!
My real advice, don't buy a couch. If you buy a couch and you need to move you will then need to pay to move the couch. Stay nimble with your furniture and your jobs. You will be much happier when it comes time to pivot!
Just go and get another job. Don't worry about getting another career, just get something that pays similar and is a different field. Every job I had enough with and left I turned around later and got a better job that paid more money. Don't be afraid to set your sights somewhere else and move in that direction.
I had my dream job. I really enjoyed showing up, direct contact with clients, working on all sorts of machinery, and playing with all sorts of test equipment. This was a job I felt I was good at, and I think the people at my job agreed that I was pretty good as well! The working conditions changed however. I was traveling all the time, the scope of my work was changing, and I was just not making steps forward. I decided to leave the job. I really got a vague email about working in a data center so I studied some materials and went for it. My pay was about half of what I was making but it put me close to home and working around fewer hazards. I figured out how to make a path with my new job and after a few years I got my pay higher than what I had left. That company was toxic so I made a parallel move to a company that treats their employees much better, I am happy where I am now!
I might make this sound like I am done with my journey, but I am not. I am at my next step and while I can do my work in this position, this is not the best I can give to a company. Again I am almost two decades older than you and I am looking for my next opportunity while I still am working. The difference in a move for me right now is I have more life expenses and am more rooted in an area. Think about what you are willing to give up in order to make a move, if you cannot, then start to pivot in place. I really recommend making moves that put you in different roles and trying to sell yourself up the ladder at different jobs. This was one example but I have done this a couple of times and plan to do it at least once more!
My real advice, don't buy a couch. If you buy a couch and you need to move you will then need to pay to move the couch. Stay nimble with your furniture and your jobs. You will be much happier when it comes time to pivot!
Sarah Schwab
CEO
4
Answers
Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland
Updated
Sarah’s Answer
Dear Chloe, I'm so sorry to hear you are feeling this way. And, it's completely normal that we feel this way when we feel a bit stuck.
When people say ‘try lots of things in your 20s’, they often say it as if opportunity is equally available to everyone. It is not. Sometimes the issue is not that you failed to explore. It is that your current company, role, or market has not created enough room for exploration. So please do not turn a structural issue into a character judgement about yourself. What I would encourage you to do now is stop asking, ‘What is the perfect long-term answer?’ and start asking, ‘What evidence can I gather over the next 30 days about who I am, what I’m good at, and what direction has energy in it for me?’
You do not need to solve your whole life. You need to run better experiments.
For example:
What parts of product management have actually suited you, even a little?
Was it user research, stakeholder conversations, problem framing, strategy, writing, coordination, health-related products, behaviour change, customer insight?
What exactly is attracting you to healthcare?
Is it meaning, science, patient impact, credibility, stability, or a different kind of identity?
And when you imagine an MBA or master’s, are you drawn to the learning itself, the network, the brand, the reset, or simply the hope that it will make the uncertainty go away?
Spend 30 days running small experiments. Try, Notice, Decide
eg. Try - for 30 days, start one conversation a week with someone new.
Notice what changes. Is it skill? Fear? Story? Energy?
Then decide what to do next.
Wishing you all the best Sarah
When people say ‘try lots of things in your 20s’, they often say it as if opportunity is equally available to everyone. It is not. Sometimes the issue is not that you failed to explore. It is that your current company, role, or market has not created enough room for exploration. So please do not turn a structural issue into a character judgement about yourself. What I would encourage you to do now is stop asking, ‘What is the perfect long-term answer?’ and start asking, ‘What evidence can I gather over the next 30 days about who I am, what I’m good at, and what direction has energy in it for me?’
You do not need to solve your whole life. You need to run better experiments.
For example:
What parts of product management have actually suited you, even a little?
Was it user research, stakeholder conversations, problem framing, strategy, writing, coordination, health-related products, behaviour change, customer insight?
What exactly is attracting you to healthcare?
Is it meaning, science, patient impact, credibility, stability, or a different kind of identity?
And when you imagine an MBA or master’s, are you drawn to the learning itself, the network, the brand, the reset, or simply the hope that it will make the uncertainty go away?
Spend 30 days running small experiments. Try, Notice, Decide
eg. Try - for 30 days, start one conversation a week with someone new.
Notice what changes. Is it skill? Fear? Story? Energy?
Then decide what to do next.
Wishing you all the best Sarah
Brian S
Product Management
2
Answers
Omaha, Nebraska
Updated
Brian’s Answer
Chloe, it might be right to move on -- if you don't love it, it might not be for you, and there's nothing wrong with that.
But, I've been in product management since 2011, I lead a team of PMs, and have had a couple of successful exits. Based on my experience, most places aren't doing product management well. I'd fire the company I work for if they expected me to be a glorified project-manager or product-owner. Those jobs are at risk in the coming years, and many of the companies that employ them, too.
Product management is like being a founder. You own discovering and exploring opportunities, conducting experiments, and winning over stakeholders, and users/customers. These PMs are entrepreneurs inside organizations, really. I actively avoid MBAs when hiring. I look for people who have tried entrepreneurship (whether they succeeded or failed). I look for people who are strategic thinkers and can relate to people. People who understand from experience that you can't put innovation on a roadmap. People who understand how to coordinate a launch once they've found something worthwhile, getting the right people involved at the right time. It's grueling, unpredictable work. It's messy and filled with small failures along the way. But it's extremely rewarding when it comes together.
If that's interesting, don't get another job. Go build something. Win or lose, you'll gain experience that sets you up for the next thing. Do it in your free time to start. If that's not satisfying, product management probably isn't for you. The best PMs are doing this for fun all the time.
Medical field seems to need workers. Probably will for a little while yet. Do something you enjoy.
But, I've been in product management since 2011, I lead a team of PMs, and have had a couple of successful exits. Based on my experience, most places aren't doing product management well. I'd fire the company I work for if they expected me to be a glorified project-manager or product-owner. Those jobs are at risk in the coming years, and many of the companies that employ them, too.
Product management is like being a founder. You own discovering and exploring opportunities, conducting experiments, and winning over stakeholders, and users/customers. These PMs are entrepreneurs inside organizations, really. I actively avoid MBAs when hiring. I look for people who have tried entrepreneurship (whether they succeeded or failed). I look for people who are strategic thinkers and can relate to people. People who understand from experience that you can't put innovation on a roadmap. People who understand how to coordinate a launch once they've found something worthwhile, getting the right people involved at the right time. It's grueling, unpredictable work. It's messy and filled with small failures along the way. But it's extremely rewarding when it comes together.
If that's interesting, don't get another job. Go build something. Win or lose, you'll gain experience that sets you up for the next thing. Do it in your free time to start. If that's not satisfying, product management probably isn't for you. The best PMs are doing this for fun all the time.
Medical field seems to need workers. Probably will for a little while yet. Do something you enjoy.
Kim Gravell
Healthcare Executive
4
Answers
Nipomo, California
Updated
Kim’s Answer
Hi Chloe
I have been there, too! I have some thoughts for you to consider.
When it comes to jobs that are not as fulfilling, try to think about the experience you are gaining and how you want to use it in future endeavors. If you have opportunities to learn about adjacencies, take them. Sometimes they turn into options for other positions, industries or companies.
Also, look for opportunities to network within your profession but outside of your company E.g marketing associations, industry-specific groups or associations, adjacent industry associations, etc. This will give you access to other perspectives and potentially ideas for an alternative career path, perhaps advice on the value of an MBA in specific fields.
And finally, you may want to consider seeking insight into your natural strengths to see how they match up to what you are doing or what would be a better alternative. There are a number of assessments available. My favorite is StrengthsFinder because it revealed some amazing strengths for me midway through my career. It was not only eye opening, but empowering. But do some research to find which assessment appeals to you. Here are some to get you started.
CareerExplorer (https://www.careerexplorer.com)
CareerOneStop (https://www.careeronestop.org)
StrengthsFinder (now Cliftonstrengths)
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Doing one or all of these things will be very empowering and allow you to take charge of your career.
My very best to you as you chart your career course.
I have been there, too! I have some thoughts for you to consider.
When it comes to jobs that are not as fulfilling, try to think about the experience you are gaining and how you want to use it in future endeavors. If you have opportunities to learn about adjacencies, take them. Sometimes they turn into options for other positions, industries or companies.
Also, look for opportunities to network within your profession but outside of your company E.g marketing associations, industry-specific groups or associations, adjacent industry associations, etc. This will give you access to other perspectives and potentially ideas for an alternative career path, perhaps advice on the value of an MBA in specific fields.
And finally, you may want to consider seeking insight into your natural strengths to see how they match up to what you are doing or what would be a better alternative. There are a number of assessments available. My favorite is StrengthsFinder because it revealed some amazing strengths for me midway through my career. It was not only eye opening, but empowering. But do some research to find which assessment appeals to you. Here are some to get you started.
CareerExplorer (https://www.careerexplorer.com)
CareerOneStop (https://www.careeronestop.org)
StrengthsFinder (now Cliftonstrengths)
https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx
Doing one or all of these things will be very empowering and allow you to take charge of your career.
My very best to you as you chart your career course.
Atul Bhankharia
Sales
505
Answers
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Updated
Atul’s Answer
To become a successful product manager, focus on these key skills:
1. Understand your product's features and details.
2. Know the competitive landscape and what your competitors offer that your product doesn't.
3. Create a product roadmap based on customer needs, industry trends, and what competitors are doing better.
4. Attend trade shows to gain industry insights and a broader perspective.
Regardless of your industry, these steps are crucial. Many product managers only manage the roadmap and follow orders without truly understanding the market. Make sure you gain in-depth industry knowledge and technical details of the product you manage, as you are responsible for its profit and loss. An MBA can be beneficial, but it's not necessary if you focus on these areas.
1. Understand your product's features and details.
2. Know the competitive landscape and what your competitors offer that your product doesn't.
3. Create a product roadmap based on customer needs, industry trends, and what competitors are doing better.
4. Attend trade shows to gain industry insights and a broader perspective.
Regardless of your industry, these steps are crucial. Many product managers only manage the roadmap and follow orders without truly understanding the market. Make sure you gain in-depth industry knowledge and technical details of the product you manage, as you are responsible for its profit and loss. An MBA can be beneficial, but it's not necessary if you focus on these areas.