Why I was Told Not to Become a Product Manager

I was interested in becoming a Product Manager long before I ever became one. During my journey into product management, I spoke to countless PMs about the role. I’ll never forget what one Product Manager told me. She said, “If you think you want to become a PM, I would seriously ask you to consider why because it’s not an enjoyable job”.

As I searched for what I wanted to do next in my career, I was fairly certain that product management was the right path for me. It checked off all of my desired career boxes: cross-functional work, autonomy, responsibility, high-impact, and continuous learning. I had been to dozens of workshops, read product management books, and listened to industry podcasts, but this was the first time that I was hearing that product management was not enjoyable.

Many articles will site needing technical expertise, or designing the product roadmap to be the biggest challenges that a Product Manager faces. While those things are indeed challenging, I’ve found the emotional and interpersonal challenges of being a PM to be the most draining. Roadmapping, sprint planning, technical knowledge; these skills can all be learned. But in my experience, dealing with pressure and turning away stakeholders’ requests are constants in the role of being a PM, which becomes draining over time. These emotional and interpersonal challenges are the reasons I’ve seen Product Managers leave their roles.

The Challenges of Product Management

1. It can be a high-pressure job While people like to think of Silicon Valley employees as overpaid millennials with nap rooms, the reality is, a lot of our work day-to-day is fighting to keep our companies afloat. When startups have lofty growth targets, business stakeholders are often looking at new feature launches or massive changes to the product to move the needle. So it’s not uncommon for an immense amount of pressure to fall on the Product Manager to make that happen. Product Managers are often expected to execute on feature launches under tight deadlines, and delays in those timelines can put the entire business at risk.
   

2. It’s emotionally taxing Product Managers make dozens of decisions, both small and large, every day. Of course, not everyone in the organization will agree with the PM’s decisions 100% of the time. As a result, Product Managers must learn to be good at navigating tense situations on a regular basis. Additionally, continuous pressure to deliver results, unexpected issues with development, and the near-constant juggling of high priorities tends to wear on Product Managers over time.
   

3. You’re often the bearer of bad news I’ve yet to meet a Product Manager who has too many resources. There is almost always more work being requested than can actually be done. As such, Product Managers have to make tough decisions on priorities, which means that PMs get the job of letting stakeholders know that their particular request is being deprioritized. These can be challenging conversations to have, especially with those who may not have much insight into the constraints the development team is under.
   

4. But you also need to stay on everyone’s “good side” While you’re often the gatekeeper of resources and, the bearer of bad news, you also need to maintain good relationships with all stakeholders. This means that even though you are pushing back against stakeholder requests, you still need to ensure that your relationships with everyone across the organization are positive. Product Management is highly cross-functional and you are dependent on other people to get your job done. This means that you cannot let interpersonal disputes get out of hand, and you must find ways to maintain healthy relationships across the organization.

While being a Product Manager does have its challenges, it also has the potential to be an incredibly rewarding role. Nurturing a product from an idea to something that touches users is incredibly fulfilling. Many Product Managers have a heavy hand in the broader success of the organization, which makes the work even more empowering. While the emotional and interpersonal challenges of Product Management can feel daunting at times, when you are delivering products to the world that do good, it makes it all feel worthwhile.