55 (Part 1: The Big News)

55 today. At least halfway, and maybe 2/3 of the way through my allotted days. The last few years have been challenging for all of us: American politics, a global pandemic, the ongoing slow melting of the environment.

I have also been dealing with aging and ailing parents and some of my own health challenges.

For me, and for some of you, this has also been compounded by personal turmoil and drought in the workplace. I was lucky enough to find a job in 2020. Luckier still to get ejected from it earlier this year. The corporate world seems more brutal, unforgiving, and silly than ever.

I am making a big change. After 30 years of being a product manager, I think I am done. I worked on and shipped many things I am proud to have been a part of, and got to work with some fun, creative, smart, and interesting people. But I think it is time for something new. This is convenient, because corporate America seems to be done with me as well, finding me too old and/or idiosyncratic.

Next month I start graduate school. I will be pursuing a Master's degree in counseling psychology, with the goal of becoming a therapist. I want to help people in a direct, clear fashion, and do work that I find meaningful and interesting.

It is a 2-year program that includes a requirement of 3000 hours of practicum. I'll be training for more than 3 years in total. 

I recognize it may not work out. But I am excited for new challenges, a different kind of work, and a different pace for my life. 

I am not sure what all of this will mean for the future of this blog. Therapists typically keep a low profile online. I have a few years to figure it out.

My product management career was mostly fun, always challenging, and sometimes lucrative. I owe much of it to two people in particular. 

One is Tim Bratton, who thought I'd make a good product manager, taught me the basics of the job, and gave me incredible opportunities early in my career. I have thanked him regularly through the last few decades, but probably not enough.

The other is JP Lester, who taught me what good management looks like, how to play the corporate game with skill and with heart, and brought me in to all kinds of exciting projects.

Together, they gave me the opportunities that have defined my professional career. Thank you, both. 

Thank you to all of my other colleagues, for putting up with me when I wasn't at my best, and encouraging me when I was.

Most of all, thanks to my partner in life Iran, who has been supportive through all of these ups and downs, successes and failures, job changes, and uncertainty. I could not have done any of this without you. 

In the near term, I am still offering product management services as a consultant, contractor, or coach. Act now, supplies are limited, etc.