Im a Product Manager and This Is My Career Story - The Muse

Im a Product Manager and This Is My Career Story - The MuseIm a Product Manager and This Is My Career Story What Is Yur Name? Sarah SpragueTell Us About Yourself Give Us Your Elevator Speech Oh man. I never know what to say when people ask this I guess thats why Im elend in sales.I joined The Muse a little over a year ago as the very first product manager. I was looking for something where I could learn a lot, work on a product that actually helped people, and be part of a team that cared. I also moved to New York for this job But Im so happy I did because it brought me closer to my younger sister who lives here too, as well as my friends from school. My hobbies include being an obnoxious Patriots fan, proudly watching terrible reality TV, and trying new activities so I can sound more interesting when I have to write bios like this.Whats Your Job Title? What Does This Actually Mean in Terms of What Youre Doing Day to Day? Product Manager. I try to figure out how we can make The Muse better for our users and clients, and then work with our engineering and design teams to make it happen. What Were You Doing Before You Landed This Job? I was doing product management at PBS building video apps for PBS and PBS Kids. Watched a lot of Curious George and Downton Abbey doing that Before PBS, I was working at GE, switching between project management and product management, which included actually learning the difference between those two roles. I also figured out what I do and dont like in a job. (Hint Big companies arent for me.) Whats the Coolest Project Youve Worked on So Far or One Youre Really Excited About? What were working on right now We just released a new home page for Musers who are logged into our site. The idea (and our hope) is to help people find the best jobs and articles for their specific needs so they dont have to dig for it across The Muse. If youve tried it out and have feedback or ideas about how we could make it better in the future- tell me Whats the Worst Job Youve Ever Had? Scooping ice cream on Cape Cod. People on the Cape are very serious about their ice cream in the summer. Also, there was that incident on my first day involving a bloody nose- Ill never be able to erase that embarrassment from my memory.If Money Wasnt a Factor, What Would You Be Doing Career-Wise? Honestly, I dont know. Something that changes constantly because I tend to get bored once Ive figured something out, and that involves solving problems. Id probably travel the world for a year or two (clich, I know), learn how to scuba dive (Ive always wanted to know more about marine biology), and maybe even do a stint in culinary school. Best Piece of Advice for Someone Who Wants a Job Like Yours or Who Is Stuck in a Difficult Job Hunt Right Now? Take a step back and think about whats most important for you. I used to get overwhelmed thinking, What do I want to do with my life? Yes, its important to plan for your future and build a career, but that type of pressure can lead to analysis paralysis, indecision, and no action. Start with what you know makes you happy Is it a location, a specific work environment, or a particular product? Once I could succinctly say, these two to three things are whats most important to me, I could put the right parameters on my search and actually make progress.I remember I read this line in a book when I was really lost You dont learn things from thinking, you learn from doing. Its so true Thats when I stopped thinking myself into insanity and focused on getting the right next job where I could continue to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Now Im one million times happier than I was two years ago when I was just thinking without moving forward.Anything Else Youd Like to Add?Heres the secret Everyone has doubts and insecurities. What was I put on this earth to do? Am I even good at my job? Why would anyone hire me? Even the people you think have it totally together, I promise you, they think th ese things, too.My co-workers will probably be surprised to read this about me, but thats the power. Once you know youre not alone, doubts stop being weaknesses. When you get comfortable with those feelings and learn how to work with them instead of trying to suppress them, you actually become stronger because youre someone who can adapt and evolve. And those types of people make great teammates.