| It's certainly possible. I PM at Gigster and have seen some BE Engineers switch to being PM's on the network--some successfully and some unsuccessfully. Joining our network and seeing how it's done on a project by project basis is not a bad start :-). My view on PM'ing is very similar to what makes a good 'salesperson' or 'consultant'. There are certainly similar traits among large swathes of successful people, but there's no 'rule'. PM'ing a software framework is very different from PM'ing a social network, which should be obvious. From a backend dev perspective, you should have some perspectives in looking at an overall system and fully understanding what will be required. You'll have empathy for the work when requirements change. That will help. Of course building the skills that MBA's,'brought up' PM's, and people who started in sales / marketing will take a while to brush up on. Product School can help. However, the best advice I'd say about PM'ing is starting to build things and get feedback from users. If you don't enjoy or cant:
1) Decide a problem to solve, along with a goal
2) Figure out a path to solve that problem
and
3) Iterate and learn based on feedback PM'ing probably will not be a fulfilling career choice. |