My Pivot Journal: How Paul Osawe pivoted from marketing to product management

My Pivot Journal is a Ventures Africa weekly series documenting people’s profession transitions from one field to a different, especially to tech.

Paul Osawe Solomon’s job route has been an journey of exploring techniques that pique his interest. Right after expending pretty much 4 yrs scouting the contemporary advertising and marketing space, Paul observed a new curiosity in solution management. In this article is Paul Solomon’s pivot journal. 

How it started

Paul’s time in promoting uncovered him to extensive traces like internet marketing system, articles marketing, paid out marketing, analytics and articles producing. 

In the course of that time period, he worked as a senior advertising expert at OperaAds. Then, he moved to do the job at Lifestyle Bank. At existence bank, he led large-amount shopper acquisition campaigns and user acquisition app merchandise such as One particular Donor App & Stockbank. The 1 donor app is an progressive blood donation application which helps people today schedule an appointment to donate blood, although the stock lender app aids hospitals procure professional medical consumables easily. This went on for a whilst until eventually he made the decision that he wished to be a product or service manager. 

Epiphany 

“I have a tech-savvy elder sister. She affected my determination to changeover into tech total-t ime.” His elder sister, a software engineer, was a source of inspiration to him. She often talked to him about how amazing technological innovation is and how substantially a person can make in that subject. His breakpoint was in 2016 when he learnt about Andela, a world-wide task placement community for computer software builders, and how considerably everything the network operates resonated deeply with him. At this point, he understood he required to make a job in tech but he did not know how or where by to in shape in. 

Transition

Prior to Paul’s time in advertising, he experienced tried using to join a software engineering booth camp, Andela, mainly because he preferred the concept of constructing application merchandise. This was wherever he started discovering software program programming languages like HTML, CSS and Javascript. Discovering these turned quite challenging as he did not have the persistence to see by means of the completion of these courses considering the fact that he experienced no other steady money after faculty. 

Through his time at Daily life Financial institution, he began exploring what another person like him, with an desire in diverse complementing abilities, could do. He realised product management revolves all over the small business of application items and other core spots he was professional on. He resolved product or service administration was what he wanted to do comprehensive-time. 

He went by way of a 3-months intense virtual course on solution advertising with Product or service Promoting Alliance in the US. He did this to tie his marketing abilities to application product or service advertising and marketing. At this stage, he was actively practising products marketing and advertising at Lifestyle Lender. Paul also turned to Udemy and Youtube for further mastering. 

“My need for actual certifications led me to discover the different courses I could lay my arms on. I concluded a quick training course on Udacity, on the fundamentals of product or service administration,” Paul defined. He also did an 8-thirty day period software package products administration class by the College of Alberta on Coursera. “I knew without a question that it was time for me to transition. I essential to leverage my internet marketing small business and style practical experience to get a product or service supervisor work,” he explained. 

A few months after, he landed a position at iQube Labs as the merchandise guide for a product or service line termed MyserciceAgent and led the product or service workforce at a management & growth potential. As a solution supervisor at iQubes, his obligations ended up to make improvements to software program goods, drive new merchandise attributes, and operate a market test.

Whilst at iQubes Labs, he bought a greater give at an agritech startup, VorianCorelli, assisting the group construct the initial edition of a matching app, a internet software that will help crucial players in the agricultural price chain to trade seamlessly.

Nonetheless, his transition did not occur without the need of challenges. His very first occupation as a product supervisor necessary him to get a fork out cut. “I did not thoughts for the reason that my objective was to get started in item administration,” he mentioned. Also, he was new in tech, so it took time to get a dangle of the subject. Often, he’d check out his online courses to recognize what to do.

How it’s going

Paul is presently a products manager at Quidax, one particular of Africa’s foremost cryptocurrency exchanges. “I started off to learn more about the crypto marketplace and blockchain,” he stated. His main function is to establish and deploy merchandise that clear up client challenges. On a common perform working day, he will work with designers, engineers and other stakeholders to boost products and solutions and ensure it fulfills user requirements.  

Profession hack

“There is small to how much you can get when you wait for men and women to tell you what is superior for you. Geek out about your pursuits. Take in a ton of information and facts on what you want to do, study, have a mentor, check with queries and go all out for things you find appealing. Devote time to finding out, and be individual with on your own.”

Published by Amakanyadioha Chidera