How A History Major Became A Product Marketing Manager

When I went to college, I was 100% committed to being a doctor or a rock star. After nearly failing biology and realizing I could not play the guitar like Slash, I settled on the oh-so-lucrative history major. I loved diving into meaty stories about kings and queens in far off lands and writing stories, er, papers, analyzing what it all meant. I chose to study Elizabethan history because I knew I would use it every day for the rest of my life.

But what do you do with a history degree and a stack of student loans? I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up but I knew one thing was absolutely sure: I didn’t want to sell anything.

“I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed.”

-Lloyd Dobler, Say Anything

So, naturally, I went into outside sales and became a learning technology consultant to college faculty in Northern New Jersey. Taking a role where I was in complete control of my financial destiny (read: bonus) was life-changing. I learned to be “comfortable being uncomfortable,” to truly listen (and not just think about the next thing to say), and to prioritize my time. My little Jeep took me up and down the Turnpike to talk to professors of psychology, sociology, health, English, you name it. The two best things about a sales gig in NJ: (1) I won enough business each year to easily double my salary with my bonus, and (2) I didn’t have to pump my own gas. Soon I was promoted to sales manager and moved to the beautiful Bay Area. Why would I ever want to leave sales?

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"

-The Wizard of Oz

In sales, I knew there was a man (or woman) behind the curtain – figuring out buyer personas, writing product messaging, and positioning our products to enable the sales force to do their thing. That (wo)man was Marketing and I wanted in. After a lengthy interview process where I wrote an interview guide, dazzled the panel with a customer-facing Prezi deck, and met with more people than I have in my immediate family, I became a Marketing Manager.

There’s so much confusion around what Product Marketing really means to an organization. At Pearson, we built this department from the ground up – separating ourselves from our Field Marketing and Channel Marketing partners. It was a little bumpy as we figured out our roles but all that communication meant we were moving forward and our “baby” was born.

"You do not lead by hitting people over the head -- that's assault, not leadership."

- Dwight Eisenhower

As our team grew and I moved into a Director role, we got down to business (check out the GyShiDo philosophy for getting your work done). We had stories to write, products to launch, growth campaigns to drive, and enablement tools to create.

We created frameworks and plans to bring it all together and ensure all teams marched to the beat of the same drum. Because what would happen if everyone moved in a different direction? Chaos. Pure chaos. And no one has time for that.

So, that’s how it all happened. It’s been a wild ride but that’s how a history major became a Product Marketing Manager.

What’s your story? How did you become a Product Marketing Manager?