Article fails to explain why a dev would desire to become a PM. My best guess is an entry point to a management career in shops run by non-devs.<p>Edit: I imagine that's perfectly natural - when I was in backoffice IT I strongly desired to transition into project management so that I could transition into people management so that I could make meaningful decisions and get credit for them. It's probably the same in product companies except low-level devs will want to manage products so they can manage divisions so they can run big-name tech companies. Currently I'm working as a consulting dev in a small dev consultancy and I don't feel the same pull in that direction that I used to. I think maybe all we really need is to be taken seriously and to have some meaningful work.
I used to be a dev who transitioned to a PM and now am the CTO in my own startup. My main reason for becoming a PM was to get more customer contact and be in a position to make customer-focused product decisions. Someone mentioned that PMs make more money than devs, this is incorrect at least in most top tech companies. Compensation bands for PMs and Devs are the same.<p>Obviously the day-to-day work of a PM is pretty different from that of a dev and the transition is not something that all devs would like or should even aspire to. For those who want to know more about what PMs are supposed to do (and no, it is not just project management :-) check out my blog on this topic - <a href="http://avilay.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/what-does-a-pm-do/" rel="nofollow">http://avilay.wordpress.com/2013/07/03/what-does-a-pm-do/</a>
No offense ... But this proposition doesn't sound very appealing at all ... I love how with hard work and determination, mastering technical knowledge, you too can become a middling middle managing bean counter too ... :) Perhaps that is a bit harsh but ... I dunno.
These articles are almost as bad as the "how to become a CEO." First answer, why? Because of the desire for power over others? Weak, lame, not in the spirit of being a hacker. Flat management everyone, screw the PMs. Where's the book on how to bury your PM 6 feet deep?
Take some management classes.<p>I'm not saying you have to take an MBA, but being able to code and being able to manage people are not the same talent. In many situations, they're quite the opposite.<p>And you had to show off your coding cred before being hired for it. The same <i>should</i> apply for management.
I see many points about not wanting to manage being mentioned, but if you read into it more you'll find Gayle is suggesting this is about developers who want to drive product. Product Management is much more than just management roles and I know many coders who do product management while maintaining their coding space. It's not for everyone, but Product Management is not project management.