Perhaps the best way to pursue and development your product management skills in media and technology.

1. How to choose your next
product development job.
Are we very brave?
28 Sept 12

2. The job risk scale
Obligations Risk
Marriage and children are valuable. They both
require a different approach than if you don’t
have them. What is your appetite for risk?

3. risk
Jobby-jobs.
comp
A regular job with a company. You work here
for a salary and potentially a bonus. Equity is
a small consideration. This is usually safe.

4. risk
Public and growing
Salary, bonus
and stock should
comp
be weighted
equally. The
company is still
growing, but it is
large. The equity
has unrealized
upside.
examples

5. Outcomes for non-jobby jobs
Go public Get acquired Fail
Most
1% 8%
startups
fail.
Unhappy
face.
91%
Source: “How Exits Have Changed in 2012” by Basil Peters

6. risk
Not public and growing
You work here
for equity first,
comp
and trade salary
for equity if you
can. The equity
has much
greater upside
than a public
company.
examples

7. risk
Startup with funding
Higher risk, but
comp
greater upside.
Fewer exits, to
be clear.
Compensation
is salary and
equity, don’t
expect a bonus.
examples

8. risk
Starting your own company
comp
Danger, man.
The highest risk,
and we don’t
mean
underwear. Very
few exits. Dream
big.

9. Align yourself with current
growth sectors
Don’t be this dude/woman
. ..
w as
n ed
p pe
d ha
t ha
Wha

10. Web 1.0 | The Link Economy
Websites linking to other websites, and
search of these relationships.
winners

11. Web 2.0 | Social web
You and your relationships. One to many. I
bore myself with this slide. (Look closely, tho’.)
winners

12. Web 2.5 | The Interest Web
You and your interests. This is fertile and fairly
unexplored, as Pinterest is the furthest out.
winners

13. Web 3.0 | The Semantic Web
Not Skynet, but it is machines talking to
machines. Specifically, APIs talking to APIs.
winners

14. Orthogonal vectors to consider
Mobile
Commerce
Gaming
Real-world
Local
Advertising
Author’s lack of experience with B2B and enterprise means that they aren’t included.

15. How to land the job
Do your research 1. What does the
company do?
Pick a sector
2. Who uses the
product?
Pick a vector
3. Who backs the
company?
Find connections
4. Founder track
Pursue relentlessly record?

16. Align with current trends
{
1. Social
Do your research web
2. Interest
Pick a sector web
3. Semantic
Pick a vector web
4. Others
Find connections that I left
out
Pursue relentlessly

17. What type of company
{
Do your research 1. Public
and
growing
Pick a sector
2. Private
Pick a vector and
growing
Find connections 3. Startup
4. Start your
Pursue relentlessly own thing

18. Leverage your network
Do your research 1. Use your
network*
Pick a sector 2. 3d tier
connections don’t
Pick a vector work
3. Don’t use
Find connections LinkedIn intros,
use this instead.
Pursue relentlessly *If you don’t have one, build one

19. Don’t let ‘no’ stop you.
Do your research You
Pick a sector
Pick a vector
Find connections Interview
Pursue relentlessly

20. The moral of the story
1. All of this presumes that
you are good at what
you do (use GitHub.)
2. If you aren’t, get a
mentor, or a career.
3. Leverage in all things is
important, except with
friends and family.
4. Leverage your future.
20

21. Taking on a job
with greater risk
but higher upside
is the best way to
bet on yourself.
Thank you. I am here all week. Tell your friends. @tyahma