Hello
everyone. My name is --- and I am Sr. Manager of Business Strategy - a position I've held since April of this
year. The majority of my career - over 7 years - I've worked as a Product
Manager.
When I first started thinking about answering "How I got to where I am in my career", I came up with what I thought was a witty little opener, which went something like, "By accident!"
Only to immediately recognize the irony in saying something so self-deprecating in a situation that is meant to embrace and support courage and confidence of women in the workplace.
For me, the sentiment comes from a feeling of not fitting the "tech" (or career) mold. I started working service jobs from the time I was 13 - restaurants and cafe's; a grocery store; hospitality; front office staff. I dropped out of 3 different colleges and never got a degree.
I was living in a warehouse with 14 other people, putting on underground punk shows when a roommate convinced me to interview for a job at --- where he worked as a backend software developer.
And this is usually the part in the story where I say, "...and the rest is history." In reality, the getting there was easy and the hard part was making it work.
I remember
the first time I ever entered a meeting room. It was a Product Roadmap update
meeting and I had NO idea what anyone was talking about. It was beyond being
unfamiliar with company specific nomenclature and a matter of having no
background in tech at all. I'm not even sure I knew what a roadmap was.
So I began listening. Intently. And asking lots of questions. For me it was a matter of survival. I couldn't afford to pretend, so I found out as much as I could beforehand, then asked explicit and pertinent questions at relevant times. I asked questions to individuals, I asked questions in meetings, I turned in to a sponge – and soon, it became muscle memory. I think what surprised me most was how much respect asking questions got. Some people had the same questions but didn’t feel comfortable asking them. Sometimes the questions instigated looking at the product in a new way.
I walked in
to each meeting knowing I was not the smartest person in the room but appreciating
the opportunity to be there at all and wanting to prove (to myself and others)
that I was a valuable part of the team. What I found with Product is that I did
have several of the skills needed to do a good job: organization, empathy for
the consumer, passion for the product - and what I didn't know I was eager to
learn.
But I also struggled with who I was,
where I was from, and the formal education I didn’t have. On some days it felt
like I was from Mars – and I was terribly homesick. On other days it felt like
I had finally found my calling. What helped the most was finding mentors. People who wanted to help me - be my mentor -
and I grabbed that opportunity as quickly as it was proffered.
These people
helped show me that not only was there potential but that most of it was latent
within me – covered with layers of doubt and lack of confidence. In looking
back, it’s amazing to me all the ways that a person can (that I DID) put
themselves down. How much doubt you can cast on yourself: whether it’s
skillset, education, physical looks – whatever it might be to justify not
getting that raise, asking for the promotion, not pushing for the title you
deserve, taking a lower salary at a new job.
If it hadn't
been for the tireless efforts of these mentors to support me and help build my
confidence, as well as career knowledge, I would have quit, failed or both many
years ago. But here I am today, still a far cry from a super confident women in
technology but much more comfortable in my skin, in my abilities, in my place
in this world.
So, what I take
away from that time, from "accidentally" finding my way into Tech and
learning to survive within it, is:
1.
Listen.
Well.
What you don’t know, you might learn. In most
cases I didn’t know what I thought I did until after I listened.
Communication is key in technology – heck probably most jobs. It’s often a few
small words shuffled in between many others that make the biggest differences.
2.
Ask the
right questions, so that you can become the expert - or at least know how to
talk to the experts
Although there aren’t any ‘stupid’ questions,
there are ill-timed ones. I found that although asking questions is a good
thing, like listening, it needs to be done well. A well thought out question at
the right time can be more powerful than a statement.
3.
Mentors
are invaluable and often lead to strong, long-lasting friendships
The mentors in my life showed me the ropes - in Product, in Dev,
in Managing - and consistently had more confidence in me than I held in myself.
Throughout my career they have provided guidance and assistance: as career
advice; a resume review; as a reference; how to negotiate the right salary; or
even just a quick kick in the butt as needed. It's run the gamut but it’s
always good advice. Find someone you can be honest and transparent with and who
you think can offer you a perspective you couldn’t get on your own – whether
it’s a different position, tenure, industry experience…and buy them lunch.
And don’t be afraid to be a mentor yourself. Pay it forward – it’s
easier than you think (especially if lunch is provided).
4.
There is
no "mold"
If there is any proof to this it’s me. As a kid,
I certainly didn’t say to mom, “I want to be a Product Manager when I grow up!” I was not on a path to where I am 8 years ago but once
I made it onto that path, I owned it. Well, ok, sometimes I owned it. What held me back for a really
long time was comparing myself in so many ways to my peers but hardly ever in
the way of skillset and productivity. In the end a piece of code needs to get
written and if you can write that code, then what you’re wearing, what color
your hair is, what music you listen to, where you went to school – or didn’t –
won’t make the least bit of difference.
I will concede here that there are some
environments and some companies that how you look, how you dress, the college
degree and in some cases the school will change your career trajectory. For me,
finding out that there is “no mold” was also a coming to terms with how I want
to manage my own career, what my limits are and what I am willing to give up
and not for advancement. Everyone has their own limits and their own
aspirations and what is most important is knowing what that list is to you. And
then owning it.
