This job is great for people who like to spin 5 plates at once. Expert multi-taskers and organizational gurus will thrive as product managers. You also need to be a subject matter expert in whatever it is you're managing. Although you're not actually writing the curriculum, designing page lay-outs or writing code, you are indirectly managing everyone who's doing these things so you need to know or at least recognize exceptional content. There's a huge sales and marketing component to this position as well so you must be comfortable presenting to customers and colleagues.

When you have a lot of cooks in the kitchen, there are always frequent fires to put out. Best to work very closely with project managers to ensure fire safety code is being followed. Internal politics can also be a bear because you're working across all departments. A good sense of humor and a direct yet friendly communication style will help. Depending on the size and location of the company, there may be a significant amount of travel involved. For some, this is a plus but for most, it may be the lowest lowlight of this position. Also, because the buck stops with the product managers, overtime work is common.

A good chunk of your time will be spent manipulating sales data to inform your product development plan. You'll review content and design every day; work closely with Operations to make sure the right stuff is in the warehouse at the right time (for print-based products); meet with Marketing to work on collateral, promotions, conferences; spend a lot of phone and face time with sales managers and sales representatives.

To get a position as a product manager, it's best for you to have the experience using the types of products you want to manage. In other words, to be a product manager for an educational publisher, you should have experience using textbooks, instructional software, assessment systems, etc. Teaching experience or any other position in a school district or post-secondary institution will help. Coupled with sales and marketing experience from any industry, you'll set yourself up well for a position in product management. Like any job, it's who you know so attend professional conferences (IRA, NCTM, NECC to name a few) and make friends in the vendor hall.

Along with long-term plans, have a monthly, weekly and daily to-do list to keep you focused. Makes close partnerships with Sales - they're the lifeblood of the company and will make/break your success. Always be a team player, develop grace under pressure and be a cheerleader for all the products you manage.