Product Institute Student Spotlight: Dave Masters

Product Institute is an online school for Product Managers looking to level up their skills. We’re featuring some of our recent graduates and asking them to share their experiences, both in the field and in our class. First up: Dave Masters, a Product Manager with 8 years experience in the role, most recently at Doorsteps in NYC.

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Hi Dave! Can you tell our readers about your current role, and how you got into Product Management? 

Sure! I work for a company called Doorsteps, which helps to remove the frustration of finding and renting an apartment. I head up a cross functional team and set the strategic direction of our product. I got into Product Management via sales and support roles which took me into working on internal systems products. From there I’ve evolved more into consumer facing products.

What was your favorite part about being a student at Product Institute? 

Lots to choose from! The class is filled with super relevant content for PM’s of all levels. It’s presented in a digestible, entertaining format, which I legit looked forward to working on each week. Additionally, it has an international community of students who share great articles & provide alternate takes on issues that Product people deal with regularly. Also, here in NYC, I’ve connected with a few other students and we’ve been meeting in person to talk shop!

How has the Product Institute impacted the way you approach Product Management? 

As product management evolves, our toolkits need to evolve. This course has helped bring forward ideas and frameworks for all steps of the product lifecycle. Some of it was brand new to me like the Product Kata, and reinforces themes such as focusing on outcomes instead of output. It’s also helped me reverse some bad habits that are easy to fall into.

What do you think is the hardest thing about Product Management?

It’s probably a tie between stakeholder buy-in and developing a comfort level of uncertainty in a product roadmap. Getting comfortable myself with that way of thinking is not nearly as hard as getting others to buy in to outcomes & goals realized vs features delivered.

Why do you love Product Management?

I love the challenge of it all! It’s a big role which no two days are the same. Not to mention the satisfaction of hearing/seeing people get value out of products you help deliver!

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If you’re interested in learning more about Product Institute, you can visit our site for a full curriculum outline, an introduction to our Product Management coaches, and answers to FAQs.

Enrollment for our next two online classes is now open. For a limited time, get $100 off of our April 3rd class with code APRIL17. 

We also have executive level options for VPs of Product, CTOs, Directors of Product, and CPOs. If you have a team of 5 or more you would like to enroll, please reach out to me at melissa[at]produxlabs.com