There's plenty written online about what PMs do, why people become PMs, the good and the bad - all of it. This is another one of those posts, I suppose, but I still want to share my perspective as an early-career PM whose journey hasn't been particularly successful beyond what looks decent on a CV.
You must have heard the usual things like: great reputation, connecting teams, learning loads, endless politics, sounds brilliant in theory but awful in practice, execs take credit while you get blamed, and pays well.
All of this is true, but what does it actually mean for you? How does it feel? If you care more about what you want from work and how you actually experience it rather than just ticking boxes on a CV, hopefully what I share below will give you something more personal and honest to work with.
What gets me excited as a PM ✨
Despite all the chaos and politics, there are genuine reasons I'm drawn to this role. These aren't the polished LinkedIn reasons—they're what actually gets me energised about the work:
Bigger picture involvement: What really attracts me to PM is the ownership and exposure to master business dynamics and think strategically - thinking several steps ahead like playing chess. Sure, in real life you get drowned in features, but how many positions force you to view yourself as the business, to deeply understand the strategy and stakeholders? This is one of them.
Understanding the market: You're part of a product within a market, which puts you in the best position to see what the market's like and how it evolves. You get to train this expertise from early in your career.
Working with all types of people: You learn from the smartest and coolest, but also face reality with the tough ones. I feel satisfied when I can win over people with the toughest opinions and get them on side. It's constantly learning about human nature, which can be a breaking point for whether people enjoy or hate this role.
Feeling part of the journey: My CEO likes to say we're all part of the journey, and I see PM as a critical part of that. Though this depends heavily on team culture. If you're in the right culture where teams are open, accepting, and strongly willing to push in a single direction, that's where you feel the contribution and enjoy the journey.
What makes me struggle as a PM 💭
There are a lot of shiny aspects about being a PM - the work sounds highly intelligent and closer to leadership even in junior positions. But beyond the fancy title and compliments, there are challenges I've personally experienced that are more intense than I imagined.
Definition of success: Normally a PM's success is tied to product development, but what if the product is dying? Does that mean I'm not a good PM? I've constantly asked myself this and struggled to define success. Eventually I landed on: empower the team to achieve their best. But how to quantitatively measure that? Still unanswered. A PM has to have strong self-belief to maintain confidence.
Communication alignment is next level: Anyone considering PM probably thinks their communication is good - otherwise why would you be interested? That's how I felt. But after doing this job, I realised the alignment needed here is something else entirely. You have to speak different “languages” depending on who you're talking to and understand what appeals to each person. "Making others see what you see" is much harder than expected because we're all human with different thoughts.
Team culture is hugely impactful: How well you work with teams can be a strong determining factor. PM is so people-oriented, and you're asked to lead without authority, so everything gets intertwined. Success feels more dependent on team culture - not even company culture (though this arguably has a determining indicator of what team culture is like mostly) - than any other job.
There's no single point of failure: I've spent months thinking deeply about why products fail, and my answer changes every week. Sometimes it's lack of vision and strategy, sometimes slow execution and lack of engineering trust, sometimes organisational turmoil, funding pressure, legacy systems, complex operations. This points to the complexity of the job - there's no single point of failure, but numerous aspects contributing. It's very hard to determine which has the most impact, which also means it's very hard for a PM to know what actually drives success.
At last, let me end on some positive notes 🙂
What helps me as a PM 🌱
What do I do when I lose confidence? When I'm confused? What direction should I develop?
Find good mentorship: With all the factors above, if you're thrown into the deep end like I was, mentorship from a more senior PM - inside or outside the company - is invaluable. They'll guide you through these problems, help you build confidence and perspective, and remind you you're not alone.
Develop thick skin: This is challenging for me as someone who can be overly empathetic and emotional. I'm fully aware this is a useful skill - separating yourself from the environment and work, staying objective, having thick skin. It's hard because PMs are told to be empathetic and objective simultaneously, which are opposite sides of the same coin. Finding the right balance is a skill that needs learning. You're doing better than you think. Don't be too hard on yourself.
There's no single playbook - it takes time: There's no right or wrong way to do the PM job, so follow your heart, listen to what you think is right, and have conviction in it. The time will come. Most PMs don't feel useful until they've built trust, context, and decision-making muscle, which takes time. Keep learning, stay curious about what's happening around you - in your company and in the market - keep sharpening your product sense. Whether PM is your final career or not, these will help you with intelligence and critical thinking regardless.
Hear other people's negativity: I know it doesn't sound nice, but it's helpful. Reading other PMs' struggles and complaints helps you understand you're not alone and gives you more affirmation.