No more OKRs and QBRs

February 14, 2024 7:57 AM

I am a product manager. I have been working in software and I.T. since 1998. I started as a web developer, moved into consulting and business analysis, have done program management, and have been working as a product manager at some well known B2B and B2C SaaS companies here in Austin for the past 10 years. It's been fun but I don’t want to be a tech bro anymore. Help me find something I will enjoy that plays to my strengths.

I still love software. I love writing code. I love working with designers and engineers. I like presenting ideas. I like talking to customers. I don’t even mind writing product briefs. What I don’t like, and am starting to loathe, are the mechanics of working at a SaaS company. I am completely over talking about engagement and adoption metrics. I am completely over reviewing our OKRs at the QBR. CAC is wack. LTV can leave me be. If I hear one more gong ring at the all hands meeting I might lose my sh*t. I may simply be over our corporate accountability overlords.

What does a better role look like for me? Or maybe a better question is "What did that better role look like for you?"

What can I do while staying really close to software and working with awesome colleagues? As a PM I have had to dotted line all over the organization so I know how to play well with others. My roles and years of experience have left me with a decent set of skills. I would like to play to my experience and strengths. Becoming an accountant is probably not gonna work for me.

Ideas I have: I could strike out on my own. I am capable of building software and selling it. If I went that route, I would keep it small and niche. I could consult at a mom and pop lemonade stand and help their digital transformation. The whole “fractional” thing is also a trend. I could go back to writing code and being a freelancer. I could go through the best companies to work in America list and help them do "software stuff" or "adjacent to software stuff". What's happening in non-profits and software?

All I know is software is everywhere, people are everywhere, and I am pretty good at working with people and software. I want to be bold here and am willing to chart an entirely new course if it leads me to a fulfilling back half of my career. "We have two lives, the second begins when we realize we only have one." is really resonating with me having just turned 50 and looking at my career. The money has been great, gives me the freedom to explore this question, but isn’t as important as enjoying what I do these days. I want to look back and say "I did dope sh*t in my 50s and 60s"

I’d love to here your wild ideas on what I should look into. If you told me I should go be a woodworker I would be willing to listen. As long as I don't have to review another sales pipeline I am good. General advice is also welcome from those that have gone through this.

posted by jasondigitized to Work & Money (9 answers total)

Go work at a university, teaching educators how to use their Learning Management System, and developing the templates for courseware. It will improve their effectiveness and truly impact students' lives.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:21 AM on February 14

That sounds a lot like PM roles at mid-size SaaS companies to me. One thing you might consider is looking at a larger company. While I know there are downsides -- bureaucracy, slowness of procurement, allegedly more dead wood -- you can also have the opportunity to focus more on owning a small slice of a product, or a smaller slice of your job. I speak from the F500 old-school perspective, so I'm sure FAANG have their own discontents. But consider a Cisco, a Pepsico, a company that doesn't "do software" but ... does software.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 8:22 AM on February 14 [2 favorites]

Depending how much salary you're willing to sacrifice, one option would be to look into the growing world of civic tech. Government agencies, some of which run some pretty cool programs, have increasingly realized that their workforce is pretty behind the curve on software skills.

Public sector often comes with its own annoyances, but you'd seldom if ever be reporting on those types of KPIs and at the right place could carve out a good mix of hands-on-keyboard, leadership, and growing a small team.
posted by voiceofreason at 8:31 AM on February 14 [9 favorites]

I feel like the environment you describe disliking is one I associate with companies that are broadly in growth mode, or just coming out of it. But there's so many other ways to be a PM - at a startup looking for PMF, at a traditional company building internal systems, at a big company trying to pivot or enter new markets, etc etc.
posted by quacks like a duck at 8:43 AM on February 14

I've been working freelance for about 8 years now, and most of my clients are smaller organizations, and none of them AFAIK deal with QBRs or OKRs. If they do, that's very far removed from my role.

So, I recommend freelance and smaller companies. If you have some savings, and you can identify one or two clients who will give you work, then make the leap. As a freelancer, you're not going to be involved in the bureaucratic crap that you currently wallow in. Or you can let yourself get involved in just as much as you want. It sounds like you're at the top of your game, and know what you're good at. You'll be a value-add to your clients, and they will likely recommend you to others.

Good luck!
posted by hydra77 at 9:36 AM on February 14 [1 favorite]

Go to Houston, work for a NASA contractor. Learn new acronyms!
posted by Rash at 9:47 AM on February 14 [1 favorite]

Best answer: “Digital development” and “ICT4D” (internet and connectivity for development) are really important sectors in international development at the moment, and chock-full of people who don’t know squat about software or systems. The pay is nothing like the private sector, but there might be interesting and rewarding work for you there. If this intrigues you, feel free to MeMail me - I’d be glad to pull together a list of orgs for you to explore.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 1:25 PM on February 14

This idea is way out there, but you said you're open to (almost) anything. I just retired from a job where the last 9 years mainly involved helping get "legacy" business application systems (i.e., COBOL based applications) pivoted to run in the "Cloud" instead of "Mainframe". This is facilitated by a company named Micro Focus (recently acquired by OpenText) that allows COBOL programs to run on Linux instances, including emulation of CICS and JCL and equivalent relational database implementations).

I half expected my old employer to reach out to me on occasional small tasks but that hasn't happened. I imagine they don't want me being a crutch and want their current staff to step up to the challenges.

But perhaps with your people skills and contacts and perseverance you might be able to create yourself a niche (???).

You can feel free to Mefi Mail me if you want more clarity, but don't feel compelled, it's just an idea.
posted by forthright at 1:52 PM on February 14

Best answer: Tech outside of tech is a great way to do the making of software with room to build processes that work for you and your team. I've worked in tech my whole career, but in an art museum, the state DNR, and higher education. Sure I never made as much money as my peers in private industry, but I've never regretted exchanging that potential for less BS and a much better culture of not working outside of work hours.
posted by advicepig at 2:26 PM on February 14 [2 favorites]