Lenny DistilledCraft → Career Growth
What's so frustrating here is you have all these people that realize things aren't good yet most places they turn are just propagating that same model. So these certifications, which in my opinion are bogus, but most people don't know. And just imagine you're a brand new product manager. You look online probably what, 90% of the content out there is from the feature team world or worst.
Most product managers should not even be product managers. They should think a little bit more around whether this is actually the right field for them because I think a lot of people from other areas have entered the field without fully realizing what it takes.
Most places they turn are just propagating that same model. So these certifications, which in my opinion are bogus, but most people don't know. And just imagine you're a brand new product manager. You look online probably what, 90% of the content out there is from the feature team world or worst.
This product owner role did not emerge from product management as we know it today. It was a way to help the developers prioritize what to work on.
If you ever see somebody with a CSPO on the end of their profile, it's a certified Scrum product owner. It's typically a two-day workshop that they went to and then got certified.
Product management is still such a relatively undeveloped discipline. We're like 15 to 20 years into this, and so there's something about the current state of product management that isn't getting at the truly important things, the truly value-added things.
I say this often actually, to folks who are thinking about going into product management. 'That's awesome. Just be really, really sure about what you're signing up for.' It's kind of the same as, I think a lot of people want to become a manager. But just so you know, being a manager is like, 'Hey, you're doing performance reviews a lot. And you're in one-on-ones a lot.' You have to really love that kind of work.
Too many people in our industry view themselves as a victim of their company, like they're stuck in a feature team and there's nothing they can do about it other than quit. I think that's not true. There is so much they can do.