So you want to stand out as a Product Manager? Read this.
Learning Web Dev or UX/UI Design might be the best move for a Product Manager. 3 Ironhack alumni explain how gaining digital skills through a bootcamp boosted their careers.
There are many great articles out there about what’s a Product Manager, what does a PM do and what you should read if you want to be a great one. If you’re looking for any of this info, you‘ll probably be better off reading these gems. However, if you’re a Product Manager (or planing to be) and wondering whether a bootcamp could help your career, you’re in the right place.
We talked to three of Ironhack’s Web Dev and UX/UI Design students with different career paths related to Product Management so they can help you figure out if a bootcamp is the best next step for you. But first, let’s meet them.
🇩🇪 Dominik Lasch: The PM that wanted to understand the Devs
Web Dev Bootcamp, October 2017
Before Dominik came to Ironhack he finished his Bachelor of Science at the Technical University of Munich with the Major in Technology Management. Afterwards he spent nearly 3 years as an IT Project Manager in Munich, working in a small-sized full service agency with a digital focus.
🇪🇸 Amaia Giralt: Business Developer, Product Marketing Manager & Wonder Woman
UX/UI Design Part-Time, May 2018
While she was studying Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation at Mondragon Team Academy, Amaia had the opportunity to develop different projects around China, India, San Francisco, Holland and Finland. Then she moved to Barcelona to work in a Big Data and IoT company — first as an Experience Designer and then running the Customer Experience department. Humanizing technology, new marketing models, evangelism and internal communication were her challenges.
🇧🇷 Rapha Montenegro: From Copywriter to Project Manager
Web Dev Bootcamp, March 2018
Rapha started his writing career in Brazil, first for a TV channel and then for an advertising agency. Then he moved to Barcelona to work as a copywriter for a digital agency. It didn’t work out so they offered him the possibility to switch to the agency’s startup branch, where he stayed for 5 years. From that moment on, he learned all he could about the subject and now has experience both as Product Manager and Product Owner.
And now let’s see what they have to say about the questions you’re probably asking yourself.
Why did you decide to join Ironhack?
🇩🇪 Mainly two reasons. First, I wanted to understand my colleagues from the development team better. Secondly, to live abroad for some time.
🇪🇸 When I started working in a SaaS company in Barcelona, unconsciously I started applying the Design Thinking principals to improve all the interaction points between the product/service and the user. I didn’t want to deliver just features, so I started collaborating with designers and developers to deliver value instead. “Humanizing technology” was my motto. At this time, I saw that learning UX/UI Design could help me communicate better with all my mates, that I could express better my ideas and solve problems more easily. On the other hand, I am really into in brands and business models that challenge the status quo so I decided to join Ironhack because I definitely believed that learning UX/UI Design could help me make real all the ideas I have in my mind.
🇧🇷 When the project I was managing at the agency ended after 5 years, I started looking for a job but couldn’t find any. In all the interviews I was asked for coding skills that I didn’t have. Learning to code had always been in my to-do list but I kept pushing it back because I was scared, I thought I couldn’t do it. I tried online but the learning curve was too steep so I opted for a bootcamp to accelerate the process and it worked.
How has Ironhack helped your career as a Product Manager?
🇩🇪 After the bootcamp, I got back to my job and now I can handle more projects with different technology stacks (especially JavaScript), as I have the knowledge for it. I still do some coding projects, but mainly as a hobby.
🇪🇸 Right now I am working in a startup that creates apps. Officially I am in charge of the business and marketing field. However, as in every startup, you end up doing things that are not related to your role. In one month we are going to launch an app and I am the one in charge also of the design, managing the project together with the developers and other stakeholders to make it real. Ironhack is giving me the methodology and the tools to implement it in a “Lean” way. Learning UX/UI is helping me have an overall vision of the product development process and combining that with my background in business and growth hacking leads me to see the whole process and manage the project better.
🇧🇷 The most important thing I learned is being able to empathize with the developers. This is helpful not only to make the dialogue easier by speaking the same language but also because now I can understand the technical specs so I know what I should ask for and how. My job is easier now but also the rest of the team’s. Furthermore, I’ve learned to prioritize and now I can create a road map understanding the structure and costs of the project.
What tips would you give fellow Product Managers who are considering learning UX/UI Design or Web Dev?
🇩🇪 Do it! It’s amazing to see how addicting it is to create new things and build your own (web-)apps. Also, it is very important to understand the developers, why they can not state the exact time for an upcoming project. It helped me translate between my clients and my team.
🇪🇸 I recommend you joining the UX/UI Bootcamp if you are into going deeper into the product development process. In addition, I consider it a great opportunity if inside your company you have to create a new product from scratch. It will help you understanding to whom you are designing and defining the best functionalities for them. Besides, it will help you in your testing and deliver more human-centered design products.
🇧🇷 Go for it! Don’t sell yourself short by comparing yourself to people with more technical backgrounds. If you know very little in the beginning, it’s okay — you’ll learn more. The key is not to be scared.
