The CareerMaker meetup, hosted by the Microsoft Azure Developer Community and managed by Reskill, stands as a flagship event in empowering aspiring professionals. Recently, I had the privilege of delivering a special keynote address at Microsoft Gurugram, where I had the opportunity to guide students from various institutes and share insights from my experience in product management.

It was an honor to accept this invitation, as engaging with the young, fresh minds of our nation is not only an opportunity to learn from them but also a responsibility to impart valuable knowledge. Special thanks to Rohit Sardana for extending the invitation and Lakshit Pant for coordination.

It proved to be quite the adventure for me. At one point, I found myself on the verge of not reaching the venue — a tale I’ll delve into later in this article. But first, let’s explore the key highlights:

Building a Career in the Cloud Industry

A big shoutout to the organizers for their flexibility in keeping the stage engaging and seamlessly adjusting the session order. Many thanks to Brijender Ahuja for sharing his valuable insights in the changed order. Brijender, a seasoned cloud expert with 12 years of IT experience, shared importance of cloud, needed skills, certificates and career paths. He emphasized the importance of mastering core software engineering principles like programming, clean coding, data structures, and networking. While exploring AI and emerging tech is vital, Brijender stressed the need to solidify these foundational skills.

In his word, AI, XR and emerging tech are like a cherry on a cake, and we need to prepare the cake well to put a cherry on it.

Building a Career in Product Management

Stepping into the stage set by Brijender, I found myself in a captivated audience. Drawing from my two decades of experience in software development, I embarked on a reflective journey from my roots as a techie to becoming an author, profoundly influenced by the books such as Async-Agile Playbook, Atomic Habits, Deep Work, and others that shaped my path. This journey of a reader led me to author my own book, “Exploring the Metaverse”.

But why am I talking product management? It’s because, much like many others, I found myself an Accidental Product Manager, a revelation catalyzed by my friend, Mr. Dinker Charak. Dinker, the author of product management masterpieces like #ProMa and Product Management Untangled, served as a guiding light in this realization.

Sharing insights from Dinker’s works, we explored the essence of product and its management:

“A product is the result of a process or action on a set of asks, possessing an associated value that can be exchanged with other products. Through further processes, additional products can be generated.”

Delving deeper, we contemplated the evolution of products—from material to machines, from digital to virtual, where AI enables them with heightened sensory experiences. It’s evident that our world is poised for unprecedented change, challenging us to envision possibilities beyond our current reality.

As products evolve, so too does their management. Product management covers orchestrating the ask, the process, the product itself, and its value. Over time, software product development has witnessed a paradigm shift, Agile methodologies, and adoption of Product Thinking.

Today, the need for effective product management transcends organizational boundaries, extending its influence across service and product sectors alike. We discussed the diverse skill sets required for proficient product development and explored potential career paths. Whether one holds a formal title in product management or not, the principles of product management can be applied to enhance their roles.

Attached are the slides I presented:

The Surprise

As the anticipation built throughout the session, I had a surprise in store for everyone. A heartfelt thank you to the publisher of my book, who generously offers a 20% discount exclusively for Careermakers attendees!

This continues, Lakshit delivered inspiring and motivating talks, shedding light on the upcoming events in the series. He emphasized that it’s up to each individual to carve their own path and become the driver of their destiny. In a world filled with both opportunities and challenges, he encouraged everyone to navigate wisely and find their desired destination.

A big thank you to the participants, and making it a wonderful session and cheers to all! And some nice goodies!

The Unexpected Adventure

Wait, now the adventure part!

My morning began smoothly, cruising to Microsoft Gurugram with FM radio as my companion. Despite Gurgaon-Delhi’s usual traffic, I was ahead of schedule. Then, a missed underpass turn (don’t we all have those?) threw a wrench in the plan. No worries, I thought, there was still time.

Suddenly, a strange sound from the engine. The car sputtered and lurched to a stop in the middle of a flyover. Stuck in rush hour traffic, calling a tow truck meant a long wait in the Delhi heat. With the event looming, I informed Lakshit, to please manage the show, and move my session later, chances were less. Thankfully, the Delhi Police came to my rescue, assuring me they’d deliver my car to a mechanic.

The mechanic’s verdict? Major engine damage. With a heavy heart, I locked the car and hailed a cab to the venue. This experience got me thinking: getting a taxi is so convenient, why do we even own cars?

Arriving at Microsoft, I was ushered into a session for a much older audience than I expected. Confused, I called Lakshit, who was still waiting for me. It turns out, I’d stumbled into the wrong room! Finally, I joined where Brijender is taking the session for over 200 eager students. I then took my session, and despite the car drama, the talk went well, discussed various things, address queries from students. I was skipping call from mechanic during the session, who wanted to inform me that I left a window glass open (Oops!).

Soon after the session, I rushed to car, get it lifted to service center, and found that The car, sadly, was a goner – the repairs were more than its worth.

It was a stark reminder of life’s impermanence, just like a car’s value can decline, so can ours. But like any good product, we can add value by sharing, caring, and taking care of ourselves and others. Keep doing your part!

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