I am a Product Manager at a company called Toluna, where I am extremely lucky to love my job and the people I work with. So, it was a privilege and a joy for me to be asked to represent the company at a job fair at my Alma mater, the Technion (aka Israel Institute of Technology). We are currently looking for computer science students towards the end of their studies to join us as software engineers. Regardless, this didn't stop tens of industrial engineering and management students to stop by our booth and ask if we are look to hire managers. Aside from the fact that we aren't looking for any managers at the moment, these students are lacking actual industry and work experience. Politely, we turned them away, but that got me thinking about how one becomes a manager and back to my own humble beginnings and the very unconventional path that I took to become a product manager.
During my army days, I realized the beauty of databases and started reading Microsoft's study guides for the MCDBA (Microsoft Certified DataBase Administrator) exams. With my release, I was hired by an American company to work for them as a database administrator. Although I had a wonderful time working for the company, I really wanted to study medicine (pathology, to be exact) and left the company when the following school year started and I was admitted into the Technion. I was somewhere in my third year of studies when I decided to close my degree as a Biology Engineer and go back to work with computers in the "real world".
The year was 2009 and the bubble had burst and even computer science majors were having a hard time looking for a job. Oracle 9i, which I had previously been adept at, was passe - knowledge of Oracle 11i was the new minimum. Several places refused to hire me because I didn't have a degree in computer science, despite my background. I decided to take a step back and find a job as a QA engineer, with the determination to work my way back up the ladder, from within.
A few job interviews later, I was starting to get very frustrated as I was constantly being turned down. Another one of these was at Varonis, although Yoav, the QA manager, was kind enough to tell me it was because he felt I was overqualified for the job. He asked me if I was open to other positions and when I told him yes, he asked me to meet with Ophir, the Product Manager. Ophir and I discussed computers, my student work as a tech writer and translator, the different stages of the product life cycle, etc. At the end of our conversation, he offered me a job. Strings attached. I'd be on a three month trial period and I'd be making a pittance of a salary, especially for hi-tech. But, I would be working as his junior Product Manager, learning directly from him and grooming me for.
I jumped at the opportunity and ended up spending almost three years at Varonis. It was a wonderful experience and I learned so much from Ophir and the rest of the people at the company. Since then, I've spent a year at start up which flopped. A year ago I've started working at Toluna and have been immensely happy hear, ever since. But, like the title of this blog hints at, management isn't something that's just bestowed upon people. A degree in management doesn't make one a good manager (I know, I've had my share of managers!). Management is something that must be earned through hard work, leadership skills and the right combinations of skills and abilities. I don't know where 168 upcoming Technion grads are going to find a job as a manager, but I do hope to share with them, as well as with others who read this, lessons I've learned, in hopes of helping others grow in their management skills.
No comments:
Post a Comment