Do We Choose Our Profession, or Does It Choose Us?
- Martin Sabag
- Jan 24
- 3 min read
A serendipitous meeting today led me to reflect deeply on this question.
I met a dear friend for "coffee" (which we never actually got around to having 😅). He owns a computer store, and during our conversation, I found myself automatically conducting a complete market analysis for him - differentiation, competitors, USP, revenue streams, and Go-to-Market strategy for his newly renovated store. What was meant to be a simple coffee chat turned into a two-hour consulting session, standing up!
He stood there, eyes wide, absorbing every word. Not because he can't think of these things himself - he runs a successful business! But when you're deep in the daily grind, it's challenging to see the bigger picture. This reminds me of what I wrote in my previous post about The 10,000 Hours Rule and Tunnel Vision - sometimes when you're so deeply immersed in your work, even if it's successful (and his business is!), it's difficult to step outside and view your business from a different angle.
That's when I had a profound realization: as a Product Manager, I don't just "do" the job - it's how my brain is wired to see the world. It's my natural way of looking at things through the lens of optimization and continuous improvement.
Looking back, it was always there:
As a child studying art: I imagined things that didn't exist and tried to bring them to life.
As an entrepreneur: I identified problems in the world/market and sought creative ways to solve them.
In my 15 years of product management: I identified customer problems and opportunities, developing solutions through products and features.
The common thread? The ability to envision something that doesn't yet exist, take available resources, and create real value for users. As Peter Drucker said, "The business of every business is to create customers" - my role is to create solutions that people truly need.
This led me to a surprising insight: perhaps the wrong question is "which profession to choose?" Maybe the right question is "in which environment do my natural traits become advantages?"
Take my (undiagnosed) ADHD as an example. In the traditional education system? A serious challenge. But in the dynamic world of product management? A tremendous advantage! The ability to quickly switch between topics, identify patterns, adapt to changing realities - what's considered a "disorder" in one context becomes a "superpower" in another.
Even within the product management world, I've made this alignment even more precise - what type of product manager am I? Am I a Zero to One product manager, developing products in their earliest stages, with no users, no data, lots of uncertainty, and hypotheses? Or am I a product manager who lives and breathes data and analytics, identifying patterns and doing deep experimental work to increase a single parameter by 5% - what we call a Growth product manager? I hope it's already clear which type I am...
This reminds me of Einstein's famous quote: "If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
So perhaps, instead of trying to "fix" ourselves to fit a particular profession, the real question is how to find the place where our "disadvantages" become advantages? Where is our unique way of looking at the world exactly what's needed?
What do you think? Do you feel your profession chose you? How have your unique traits become advantages in your career?
This post is part of my ongoing exploration of finding your perfect market fit - the sweet spot where your natural inclinations meet professional success. Want to explore how your unique traits could become your career advantages? Let's connect.
Comments