I never imagined myself in Product Management, truth me told, I didn’t know it was a career when I was younger. I started my career in Sales at 16, then moved into Customer Service and later Business Analysis. Looking back, this path actually laid the perfect foundation for Product Management. I may not have had deep technical skills, but I’ve always been driven by a deep curiosity about customers, whether I was selling a washing machine or a 70-inch TV. It was always about understanding their needs and delivering something that delighted them.

Empathy, the ability to obsess over users and truly step into their shoes is, in my view, half the job in Product Management.

Over the years, I’ve worked across diverse domains: Retail, Banking, Mortgages, Insurance, E-commerce, IoT, and Government. This wide-ranging experience helped me develop a deep well of domain knowledge and become a more versatile, well-rounded Product Leader.

To succeed in Product Management, you can’t rely on a single skill set or stay within one familiar domain. Growth often comes from stepping outside your comfort zone – taking on new roles, learning new disciplines, and immersing yourself in unfamiliar industries.

In my experience, that kind of breadth is often what separates a good PM from a great one.

While I can (and will) discuss the technical skills required to succeed in Product, it’s essential to understand that without the proper foundation, making a career switch can be a significant challenge. If you can demonstrate a user-centric mindset, a broad understanding of business and domains, and a relentless appetite for learning, then you already have what it takes to become a great PM.