Ask Me Anything - 60 Minutes with Ryan

Great mentor for those coming from a technical, non-software background. I come from a background of academia and construction. I was looking to gain exposure to Product Management and apply new skills to my current role. I'm really Ryan introduced me to this platform because, otherwise, I wouldn't have imagined searching for it otherwise. Ryan was great at introducing many of the language and norms of Product Management. Moreover, he helped me translate the language of PM into the language used in my industry to help me gain support at work.

After I was let go at my most recent job, I felt like I needed help with my PM skills and career. I was looking for someone who, like me, was an engineer turned PM with experience across large and small companies who could guide me through this difficult career phase. When I stumbled upon Ryan, I felt like he could be a great person for me to learn from and I am so grateful that he agreed to help me out. With mentors, I have found that you get as much as you put into the relationship. However with Ryan, I found that you consistently get more than you put in. For instance, without my asking, Ryan asked me to provide a couple of writing samples for him to review outside of our mentorship sessions. His feedback on those was super helpful. This is a constant theme where Ryan actively identifies areas we could work on as opposed to being someone who passively input when asked. Overall, I have found working with Ryan to be super helpful. This community is lucky to have someone so insightful and generous as he is.

I want to express my sincere gratitude for the invaluable guidance and support provided by Ryan during my job interviews. His insights on tailoring my resume and interview documents for different industries, as well as his advice on interview techniques, significantly boosted my confidence. Thanks to his mentorship, I was able to land several interviews, and I’m thrilled to share that I’ve received an offer from a company that aligns perfectly with my career goals. This wouldn’t have been possible without Ryan's help. His support not only made a difference in my job search but also instilled in me a renewed sense of confidence in my abilities. I’m deeply grateful for everything he has done and look forward to staying in touch as I continue my career development. If you are looking for a mentor for your job search and interviews, I would highly recommend Ryan.

Ryan really helped me work through managing up effectively by understanding my specific situation, giving me strategies, and helping me with templates I could use to get the conversation started! He also helped interpret confusing messages I got from management and learn what they mean!