Today’s guest, Diana Cameron, followed a winding, creative path to product management. From web design to fine arts to mass communication, and even a sprinkling of film production, she finally transitions from customer experience to product man
Today’s guest was a stunned business analyst who, when he was invited to join a new product management group at a company, did NOT ask: what’s product management? Nope, his first question was a lot more practical than that.Today’s guest is my
What do product managers, toddlers, and the Backstreet Boys have in common? The answer to that riddle is what drives my guest on Path into Product today. Meet Emily Holcomb, a senior product strategy manager with over 6 years experience. Today
Becoming a product management professional has never been more difficult. Just look at any entry-level job posting on job boards, and you’ll see hundreds of applicants within hours. That is an incredible amount of competition! No wonder we call
Dan Barker, a self-described "recovering developer" found his way into product after various software developer and consulting roles. As a deep reader and experienced professional, Dan is very knowledgable about the craft of product management.
Chris Campos gained a love for business and customer relationships while working in the family business. He fell in love with products while working in an Apple Store. Now he’s a director of product at Ramsey Solutions. Hear his story, insights
Logan Cottle has changed his mind about product management being a “cush” job. He was headed down the road of dentistry when a simple question began a journey into technology companies. First, starting as a Customer Success Manager, he gained a
In episode 21, Sarah Dethloff shares her unconventional path into product. With a background in journalism, Sarah decides to follow somewhat of a family path into teaching. After spending two years with Teach for America, she winds her way from
Carlos Gonzalez de Villaumbrosia recognized a gap. Trained in computer science, he was told he'd be an engineer. Later, in business school, he realized that the program was very high level. Could there be something in the middle, that bridged t
Reza Shirazi found himself in project managment roles, but always felt like something missing. Years later, while discussing his skillset with a new manager, the manager said, “Oh I get it, you’re a product guy.”Reza, originally from Pakistan
John Franck found his way into product management through many experiments, starts, failures, and successes. When he felt computer security was not for him, he knew something out there had to suit him. John's story offers helpful insight into h
Gretchen Rodriguez, originally from Cuba, started doing product-management-like work in Spain before joining eBay's marketing team. While at eBay, she discovered product management, and made deliberate decisions to "network with intention" in o
We often hear that people's path into product management is one part effort ten parts luck. Trevor Bruner shows us that it can be equal parts hard work and equal parts luck. Trevor has the most diverse work background of any of our previous gue
Daniel Falabella, Senior Director of Product at Duolingo, was on a path to be a business consultant, until he realized, as he says, consulting was a "scam." That insight led him to try his hand in a start up, eventually transitioning into produ
Alicia French has a get-it-done approach to life and solving problems. After taking a difficult customer call while working in client success, Alicia has 24 hours to solve her customer's problem. This leads her to talk to all the people she can
A self-described “maker,” inspired by digital encyclopedias and science fiction novels, Lance was awed by the potential that digital technologies could unleash for humans. When mentors finally convinced him that he was a product manager, he lea
Matthew Lace has a passion for solving the world’s problems. But in the early days of his career at the UN and other global non-profits, he realized he needed a discipline and skillset in order to bring his passion into reality. While in a job
Clement is never content. In his own words, he says, "If I see a pain, I want to go and solve it." Throughout his story, you see this idea play an important role. Eventually, his CEO convinces him to become an Associate Product Manager. From th
Path into Product goes international! Robert Drury started in professional sports, tried his hand at managing a cinema, and eventually landed in sales and business development. While there, he developed a knack for listening to customers needs
Justin Knutson, senior product manager at O.C. Tanner, is no stranger to failure. After dropping out of high school (and never completing a GED), Justin started and failed eight small businesses. Yet he credits those failures with teaching him
Steve started as a cocky college student ready to change the world. After being told he was unemployable and then getting fired, he managed to pull himself together and continue to find opportunities to solve some incredible problems. He found
Jeff Compton is fresh off his path into product--with only three months of experience. He tells his story from mechanical engineering sprinkler parts to landing his first product role at a growth-stage company.Jeff shares his insights on quest
Billy Gast, Group Product Manager, tells his path into product from a technical background, moving from computer science into product. He discusses a wide gambit of topics: how PMs need to be politicians; the less glamorous parts of product; th
After listening to this episode Nate Barrett will feel like an old friend. Nate shares valuable insights into hiring product managers, how to gain product manager experience, and how to make a difference in product. This episode is purposefully
Becca DeVito, desperate to find work, found herself in a dingy office for an interview. After filling out her information on a computer equipped with Windows 95, she landed a job at Goldman Sachs. After 8 years, she joined the start up Weave, w