27 posts tagged with "Community & Insights"

Up until that moment, I had a clear vision of my career track. After graduation, I became an L1 Support Engineer, dreaming of landing a product management role. That gap was too large to cover, so the role of a business analyst seemed like a reasonable intermediate step.

I also had a precise timeline: transition from support to business analysis by 24, then become a PM by my thirties. That plan worked out, even though the path itself was neither always obvious nor easy.

Now, I am near 35 and a senior product manager. Dream came true. The problem is, I don't know which career goal to target next. Or if I need to target anything at all.

Annually, I summarize my writing and review plans for the upcoming year. But before doing this, I want to thank all of you for being my readers. Whether you have been following me for a few years or just joined after my recent posts (welcome, by the way), thank you!

Writing and observing how people react to it is my source of dopamine. It really motivates me to keep going and do my best. I am learning by reflecting on and writing about my experience, and I want everyone to learn from it too.

Now, let's take a look at my journey as a writer in 2025.

While reading Julius Caesar’s biography by Adrian Goldsworthy, I learned a surprising fact: he funded his political career as a startup would today.

Caesar was from a very noble patrician family. However, at the moment of his birth, his family was not incredibly rich and powerful compared to other Roman nobility. They have significant connections, but that alone would not be enough to build an outstanding political career.

The Roman political system was not characterized by parties but rather by individuals. Those individuals spent a large amount of their money to gain popularity among the citizens, support their lifestyle, engage in what we today consider bribery, and so on.

Another year is almost over, so it is time to summarize all that happened and discuss what is coming. First, let me wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year before I dive into self-reflections relevant only to a few readers.

Achievements​

In 2024, I published 24 articles, including 7 editions of the BArszawa blog, where I acted as a writer and an editor. That's two times more than in 2023.

Here is the next blog edition of our Business Analysis Community in Warsaw: BArszawa Blog #7 (December'24)

What is inside:

A new chapter in the Requirements & API series continues uncovering API design specifics. This time, we look closer into IDLs (Interface Definition Languages).

I examine OpenAPI as an industry standard, Microsoft-powered rival TypeSpec, and an underdog JSight. They have a similar purpose but achieve that in very different ways.

A new chapter in the Requirements & API series focuses on structuring each layer to design an API. This time, it is more practice-oriented, with examples of an HTTP API call and its OpenAPI definition.

I am in the hallway through that series. Almost a year ago, I did two webinars on the topic. Those articles help look deeper into the topic, which is better done in writing.

Here is the next blog edition of our Business Analysis Community in Warsaw: BArszawa Blog #6 (September'24)

What is inside:

Here is the next blog edition of our Business Analysis Community in Warsaw: BArszawa Blog #5 (May'24)

What is inside:

I almost missed a point of reaching a three-year tier in my product manager career, which nearly matches with ten years in IT. I wrote essays about my previous years (year one, year two, combined article on Medium) as a retrospective of my thoughts and feelings.

I had doubts about whether I wanted to write the continuation. I re-read previous pieces, which made me realize I needed to continue. First, the "Sophomore Year" was quite depressing. Second, I need to finish the series, and having that as a trilogy sounds right.

I don't say it will be optimistic than a previous one. A bit brighter, maybe. And most probably, the last. Writing that in a third time felt more like an obligation.

Anyway, it is time for a retrospective of my 3rd year of being in product management.

Platform engineering and product management​

Last year, I had an identity crisis because my job seemed to be far away from what is written on product management. It coincides with general terms, but the devil is always in details.

Then, I realized that platform engineering and product managers who are working on Internal Development Platforms (IDP). There is a community, books, webinars, courses, and tools around that. Many people are doing similar things I am trying to do and have similar problems.