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Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

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Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#11
post #10
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not in a hurry to move, I would like to plan and prepare for the transition once I've sat with this feeling and understand that it's real and it doesn't just pass over me. Perhaps I could use the next 6 months to study and create some weekend projects.

IMHO if you can position yourself in a relatively niche domain, you may actually get more value than by creating weekend projects. In your shoes, I would actually try to get hired now. Probably lots of companies, see e.g. Who is hiring / Who wants to be hired threads, would extend you an offer straight away.

Sounds valid too. From OPs post it sounded like he's not very confident in his coding ability any more, so I suggested the weekend projects. But no downside to just applying already and finding out if your confidence/ability is already enough :) If not, can always do more weekend projects until it is.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#12
What are your salary requirements? That's probably the biggest sticking point, as you won't be a senior dev (in terms of coding skills). I'd address that relatively quickly in any interview process.

I think your skillset is well aligned with a team lead who has one foot in the coding world and one in the product/project management world. That's probably the type of role I'd look for. In my experience, consulting companies are far more forgiving for this type of transition than product companies are.

So I'd take the following steps:

* do some coding in your spare time to see if it matches with your ideas. No sense in making the jump if you are wrong. You might see if there's any small projects/hackfests you could participate in as a coder at your current company.

* write up a resume emphasizing your technical skills. This can be coding, requirements gathering, QA, architecture review/feedback, etc. Minimize your prouct management experience.

* find a consulting company looking for a team lead or senior engineer in a tech stack that you are comfortable in and get to know the hiring manager. Ask them for coffee and explain your situation and ask for their advice (people love to give advice) on how to find a coding job. Are there specific things you can do to make the transition easier.

* make a list of consulting companies that you'd like to work for and look at their jobs page. Apply, but do it through the back door, via someone you know there. If you don't know someone, find someone you can get to know (even a weak connection like an interaction on HN or Twitter is far better than applying through the front door)

* get hired :). Do a good job there, and make sure you get as technical as possible. Given your background, the company may pull you towards the project management side, but resist.

* after you've been there for 1-2 years, look around for a product company if that is your end goal.

HTH.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#13
i'm heading down the PM path from a CS degree background, working at a tech company for ~2 years. sometimes i wish i had gone into dev work so i could get better satisfaction in the day to day. it also seems like PM hiring is very picky which worries me if i lose my job. anecdotally lots of career pages have lots of open dev positions but few PM roles. is this a factor in your thought process for switching?

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#14
I knew a newspaper journalist in his late 30s / early 40s who became a developer, and by the time I met him he was a senior developer and highly respected in the team and business. He was working at a tech 'scaleup' who were valued at +£2bn and that had been around for c.10 years. I think given your a PM and already in tech, it shouldn't be a problem. I'd use the fact you were a PM to your advantage.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#15
post #12

What are your salary requirements? That's probably the biggest sticking point, as you won't be a senior dev (in terms of coding skills). I'd address that relatively quickly in any interview process. I think your skillset is well aligned with a team lead who has one foot in the coding world and one in the product/project management world. That's probably the type of role I'd look for. In my experience, consulting comp…

This is informative and helpful. Thank you!

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#16

i'm heading down the PM path from a CS degree background, working at a tech company for ~2 years. sometimes i wish i had gone into dev work so i could get better satisfaction in the day to day. it also seems like PM hiring is very picky which worries me if i lose my job. anecdotally lots of career pages have lots of open dev positions but few PM roles. is this a factor in your thought process for switching?

It’s an observation I made too. There definitely seem to be fewer PM roles and it makes sense - often there is 1:5 all the way up to 1:10 PM to Engineers ratio. My personal motivation isn’t necessarily a reaction to the market, but more so my general experience and satisfaction as an IC versus a PM. I just feel like I’m more of a coach as a PM than a player in the field. And as I look at my life and reflect on how I ended up here, I can’t ignore that it was very much about playing the game that pulled me in.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#17

i'm heading down the PM path from a CS degree background, working at a tech company for ~2 years. sometimes i wish i had gone into dev work so i could get better satisfaction in the day to day. it also seems like PM hiring is very picky which worries me if i lose my job. anecdotally lots of career pages have lots of open dev positions but few PM roles. is this a factor in your thought process for switching?

It’s an observation I made too. There definitely seem to be fewer PM roles and it makes sense - often there is 1:5 all the way up to 1:10 PM to Engineers ratio. My personal motivation isn’t necessarily a reaction to the market, but more so my general experience and satisfaction as an IC versus a PM. I just feel like I’m more of a coach as a PM than a player in the field. And as I look at my life and reflect on how I…

totally understand where you're coming from. lots of days i feel like my job is to get the right people involved in the problem, not solve the problem myself. best of luck to you, i might find myself moving a similar direction.

Re: Ask HN: I'm a PM, and I want to go back to coding

#18
What do you do as a PM? Do you really make business decisions or just write stories/review UX screens?

IMO running a real product is the second best (and hardest) things to do. The first being running a company.

For this to be true, you should really like the product. And your decisions should directly impact product revenues. And product revenues should directly impact your income.

If that’s not the case with your current product, consider trying another one before switching back to coding.

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