In HER Words with Janiré Castillo
Prior to becoming a Senior Manager of Digital Product with Indivisible Project, Janiré Castillo held many non-product roles, including journalist, web developer, digital strategist & UX designer. We spoke to Janiré about why she feels her previous roles prepared her to work in product, what tools helped in her career transition, and why you should never wait for others to validate your dreams.
How did you start working in product?
I started my career in tech after working as a professional journalist, a fact every tech employer I’ve had was aware of. Because I could “talk good,” I was frequently engaged in meetings with stakeholders in order to understand the why behind a particular project. I also wanted to understand the what and for whom we were building a product.
“I officially transitioned into product last year, meaning that is when my title became ‘product manager.’ However, the truth is, I have been unofficially functioning in that capacity for years.”
Prior to working in product, you held many former roles, including journalist, web developer, digital strategist & UX designer.
Yes, I officially transitioned into product last year, meaning that is when my title became “product manager.” However, the truth is, I have been unofficially functioning in that capacity for years. I was frequently engaged in “selling” a project/concept/idea to stakeholders, requirements gathering, and performing user research and competitive analysis activities, even though my official titles at the time were “senior developer” or “UX designer.”
What are some of the skills that you learned from your previous jobs that you believe have helped you be successful in your current product role?
Having experience as a front-end developer has been huge because I can better gauge the technical feasibility of a proposed product or feature. However, my background as a journalist is what has helped me most, because I was trained to ask the right questions and to then really listen to the answers.
Aside from highlighting those transferable skills, were there any resources you used that helped you land your first “official” role?
In 2017 I enrolled in and completed General Assembly’s Product Management Program. Since then, I’ve attended seminars and/or conferences (Her Product Lab, GA, Women in Tech), taken several courses via Coursera, and joined relevant professional groups, including Women in Product. In terms of books, I recommend “Lean Customer Development” by Cindy Alvarez, “Inspired” by Marty Cagan, “The Lean Product Playbook” by Dan Olsen, and “Value Proposition Design” by Dr. Osterwalder, Dr. Pigneur, Alan Smith et al.
“Do not wait for someone else to validate your dreams, your skillset, the added value you bring, or your worth.”
What is a great piece of career advice you have gotten or a career lesson you have learned you would like to share with HPL’s community?
Do not wait for someone else to validate your dreams, your skillset, the added value you bring, or your worth. I hadn’t been a journalist before I became a journalist, and I also hadn’t been a web developer before I became one. The advice I was getting at the time was don’t do it. Imagine where I would be if I had listened?
