Looking for a new job?

If you are interested in a new job in product management, look no further than Jock Busuttil‘s guide from global educational institution General Assembly.

Jake Schwartz, CEO of General Assembly, sets the scene…

Product management is arguably the most sought after position in tech. Every week I meet recent college graduates who want to know how to get into the field. What used to be viewed as something of a workhorse position — the “business” person on a software team — has blossomed into a highly prized role consisting of an alchemy of art and science. Expert PMs are true rock stars in their companies, blending a wide range of skills in pursuit of product perfection. When done well, product management is a great and inspiring thing to behold — product team all marching in the same direction, toward building an experience or feature that serves the customer even better.

But what makes a good product manager? That’s one of the great mysteries any organization seeking to truly delight customers must solve. Those who learn the essential skills can play an exciting and vital role in a company’s success, whether in a small startup or a large, established firm. But what are those skills? And how do people get into product management?

Many hard skills are involved: communication, project management, analytics, and technical understanding. But a whole host of intangibles are also key: a certain kind of magic that comes primarily from experience. This book shares not only the hard skills but also some of the magic as well, and it is full of stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly of product development and launches. For example:

Why did the Segway fail to change the world? Why did those who love Fritos want nothing to do with Frito Lay Lemonade? How did Apple, the company that has honed product launches to a science, go off script in launching Apple Maps? This book reveals the ways in which product managers come to understand the market, and how they can keep teams working in harmony.

Our vision at General Assembly is to build a global community of individuals empowered to pursue work they love by offering a wide range of courses that share the practical insights that make the difference in a successful tech career. Since 2010, we have grown from one small space in New York City to nine campuses on four different continents offering courses ranging from twelve-week intensives to two-day introductions and two-hour workshops. Our community has grown to hundreds of thousands of students and practitioners, and, through this book, our community now includes you. As with the other books in the General Assembly series, we’ve sought to bring to you the essential, hands‑on wisdom that is the hallmark of our courses. Our goal is to equip you with the perspective you need to become a product rock star, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced product manager looking for ways to improve.

By reading this book, you are taking a vital and important step in pursuing a career you love, and we hope it will be a great help to you on that journey.

Jock Busuttil is a product consultant, speaker and writer. He has spent more than a decade working as a product manager for technology companies ranging in size from startups to multinationals, including Zeus Technology, Iron Mountain and Experian. In 2012, He founded Product People (productpeo.pl), a product management consultancy. Jock routinely instructs classes at General Assembly on product management, and mentors startups, entrepreneurs and product professionals.  He holds a MA in classics from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, is the author of the blog I Manage Products (imanageproducts.co.uk) and regularly contributes articles to mindtheproduct.com.