Daniel M.
About me
| Daniel M. | |
| Sociology | |
| Social Research | |
| Taught Postgraduate | |
| Wentworth | |
| 2011 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Product Manager | |
| Raspberry Pi Foundation | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Digital and IT services | |
| Medium-size business (50-249 employees) | |
| 2018 |
More about Daniel
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A day in the life of a Product Manager in the United Kingdom
Sociology provided me with a framework for understanding businesses in a way that I didn't fully appreciate while still in academia.
Briefly describe the organisation you work for
Raspberry Pi is a not-for-profit organisation that looks to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. Part of the organisation makes small cheap computers, but we also run coding clubs and events, provide training for teachers, and endorse initiatives to help young people and adults gain confidence in digital making.
What do you do?
I'm a Product Manager in the Digital Products team at the Raspberry Pi Foundation. As a Product Manager, my job boils down to making sure that, when we build digital products and services, we're doing so for the right reasons, at the right time, and in the right way. I do my own research and work with the senior leadership of the organisation to work out what we should be doing to better serve the needs of our users, and then I work with a team of developers and designers to make it happen.
Reflecting upon your past employment and education, what led you to your current career choice?
After quitting my PhD programme I spent a number of years working part time retail jobs (including a notable stint at Ann Summers) as I searched for my next step. I took an unpaid position advising a new charity on social issues (which aligned with the research I had been doing in the Sociology department).
After landing my first job at a small web consultancy in York called Isotoma (in a junior Project Management position) I worked for them for a year. Sadly I was made redundant after the Brexit vote, but the company directors put in a word for me with the recruiters at Sky. I became a Product Owner for skysports.com, working for a huge international organisation. I took the job out of necessity and curiosity, but in the end the values of the company did not align with my own, so I left after 6 months.
Finally, after many months of fruitless applications, Isotoma approached me to see if I would return to them as a Project Manager, which I gratefully accepted. After a further 18 months working on a range of projects I was ready for a change. I'd realised that Product Management, rather than Project Management, was what interested me - it allowed me to focus on achieving desirable outcomes for users, not just building stuff to a schedule. From there I took a role at Raspberry Pi Foundation, and have continued to learn and grow in this new role.
Is your current job sector different from what you thought you would enter when you graduated?
Originally I had intended to to a PhD in Sociology and become an academic. I had no intention of going into business at this stage. After a couple of attempts I won funding for a PhD, but I ended up leaving the programme - I was worried about the way the academic job market was going, I was struggling to get my research off the ground, and my mental health was suffering. I loved teaching, but that wasn't going to get me through the programme, so leaving was the best choice.
Describe your most memorable day at work
N/A
Are there any challenges associated with your job?
Working for a charity means that, inevitably, my salary isn't as high as it would be in the private sector. That's a conscious decision on my part - of course I'd love to earn more, but I prefer to work in areas that align with my personal values and put mission before profit.
What’s your work environment and culture like?
The company I work for is very close-knit and non-hierarchical. We trust and value each other's expertise, and there's none of the politics and game-playing that can plague this industry. It's vital to me that the people I work with are people I respect on a personal as well as professional level - when you apply for jobs, I suggest that this is something you consider.
What extracurricular activities did you undertake at university and what transferable skills did you develop through these?
Sociology provided me with a framework for understanding businesses in a way that I didn't fully appreciate while still in academia. All the discussions on social class, on gender inequalities, on the value of labour, they all came to life in a very direct and applicable way when I found myself in management roles. In some ways this has made me unsuitable for a lot of roles, as critical thinking is my default position now, but it also means I value the companies and colleagues that don't just tolerate but actively encourage a critical mindset. As a Product Manager this is particularly valuable.
What would you like to do next with your career?
If experience has taught me anything it's that trying to plan that far ahead is a fool's game. I want to keep growing in confidence as a Product Manager, find the optimum balance between responsibility and freedom, and maintain the trust and respect of my friends and colleagues. Longer term I'd quite like to find a way to not have to work at all, but spread my time between personal development and volunteering/advising on social issues.
What top tips do you have for York students preparing for today’s job market and life after graduation?
It's hard to think of what I have as a 'career' per se. I hope this encourages any students or graduates who read this that an ad hoc/shambolic approach to post-university employment is not necessarily something to be scared of, or a sign of failure. When you read some people's LinkedIn profiles it can read as a seamless transition from university to CEO of their own company. The reality is far more messy.
What topics from students are you happy to answer questions on?
If you want help getting an internship at a hedge fund, I can't help you. But if you think Product Management might be something you're interested in, or you're a Sociologist looking for ways to apply what you've learned, I'm happy to bounce some ideas back and forth. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I think I'm pretty good at asking the right questions.
Next steps...
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