Ask HN: How do I jump from Senior PM –> Senior Product Engineer?

2 points by KomradeKeeks 1 year ago | 8 comments

I've spent the last 5 years as a PM working closely with engineering teams, architecting solutions and speaking fluent tech - but I'm tired of being the person who draws on the whiteboard without writing the actual code. My background:

- 5 years as a PM - CS fundamentals are solid - Have built various hackathon projects (both frontend and backend) - Can sketch out system architecture in my sleep (co-invented a software patent) - Regularly contribute to technical discussions and decision-making - BUT: Haven't shipped production code professionally

I'm particularly interested in full-stack development and AI integrations. I know the product side cold, I understand what makes for good UX, and I can bridge the business-technical gap. Now I want to be the one building, not just specifying. The job market isn't great right now, which makes this transition harder. I'm looking for environments that value Respect, Integrity, operate with a Sense of Urgency, and (crucially) have Funding.

For those who've made this transition successfully:

1. What's your recommended path? 2. How did you overcome the "no professional engineering experience" hurdle? 3. Any specific companies known for supporting this kind of transition? 4. Should I target smaller companies where I can wear multiple hats?

Thanks HN!

malfist 1 year ago |

Typically, one doesn't jump from "senior in specialized field that you're experienced in" to "senior in specialized field you're not experienced in".

Like, you wouldn't expect someone who's an assistant manager at McDonald's to finish their law degree and start a new job as senior partner at the law firm.

You have to start over as a junior engineer. Because you are starting over

pyfon 1 year ago | |

I'm trying to get "senior" after 29 yoe lol. Titles mean nothing they are like saying your wealth has reached 1000000. 1000000 what?

He might go direct to senior (as a word in a title at given company) based on impact if he can regurgitate the right algos and design question answers.

KomradeKeeks 1 year ago | |

> you wouldn't expect someone who's an assistant manager at McDonald's to finish their law degree and start a new job as senior partner at the law firm

I think the metaphor's a little off (I have programming experience, and what'd be more apt is a McDonald's corporate ops manager moving into in-house legal after getting law degree + passing the bar), but I get what you meant!

If you were in a similar position, how would you build a portfolio that shows you have programming skills, and aren't just good at prompting?

malfist 1 year ago | | |

You might see it that way, but employers won't. You can't skip the line because you think you're good enough to, almost every junior engineer thinks the same way.

There's so much more to programming that just being able to write code without relying on AI. Otherwise boot camps would have been more effective.

Until you have years under your belt of dedicated building, you're not a senior engineer

austin-cheney 1 year ago |

I get that you want to put your hands in the code and get more technical, but this looks like a giant step backwards for you. If you want to get a superior handle on the code write personal projects outside of work. Never ever trust your office coworkers to determine what qualifies as high quality code when you can make those determinations more precisely from doing the same work yourself without the restrictions and politics of the office getting in your way.

What you should be looking at is senior product owner. This varies in title and degree of authority based upon the employer. As a senior product owner you are ultimately the boss whose career and value as a human is vested upon the success of a segment of the business. This means you need to have a constant awareness of product health and monitoring, user preferences, roadmap, product finances, employee/feature velocity, and more. You also need to know which subordinate managers to strangle when things go outside of plan.

rahimnathwani 1 year ago |

Is your immediate desire:

A) A job where your title is 'Senior Product Engineer'?

B) A job where your responsibilities and activities are that of a 'Senior Product Engineer'?

C) A job where you can hone your craft over time, so that one day an impartial observer would consider you a 'Senior Product Engineer'?

D) Something else?

From your description, my guess is:

A is achievable. Many companies have a low bar and/or are willing to take chances and/or are happy to grant big titles because they don't cost anything.

B is achievable, but you haven't built the skills or experience for it. So it's probably not the ideal learning environment and would probably cause a lot of stress.

C is what I would recommend if a friend came to me with this question.

(If you're a good PM, this will save time on some aspects of your new engineering job, so you'll be in a better position than a typical junior engineer.)

KomradeKeeks 1 year ago | |

I'd say C, since that seems most practical given my experience

codingdave 1 year ago |

> Should I target smaller companies where I can wear multiple hats?

Yep, that is probably your best bet. Find a job where you are hired for your PM skills, but allowed to write code. Now you have coding experience. Do that for a couple years, then switch to full-time coding.