FiT Feature: Tim Smith
Location: Los Angeles, California
Age or Age Range: 29 years old
Title: Senior Product Manager
Company: Oracle
How long have you been in tech? ~ 8 years
What made you decide to switch to a career in tech?
When I graduated high school, I was out on my own at 18 years old and I didn’t have the privilege or financial support to go to college. So without a college degree, I really had to think hard about my future and how I was going to carve a path for myself. I knew growing up I wanted to somehow get into the creative field because I’ve always had an eye for art and design since I was a little kid. So logically, I chose to get into the interception of where design and technology met. For me, back then that was mainly graphic design for digital and web design. The tech industry as opposed to something like print, seemed like a no brainer for me. There was more income there and excellent job security as tech was and continues to be ever-evolving. Also, it was a fantastic time to get into tech in the mid 2010’s when mobile devices were taking its initial advanced strides to smarter capabilities, and app creation was simultaneously hitting a boom in fresh app store platforms.
Did you have a hard time breaking into UX from graphic design?
I actually did not. I first got into UX in 2016. Back then, the term “UX” had just began to be a hot button topic where no universities or academia had vastly taken advantage of the UX field just yet. Also, there was no great presence for UX bootcamps everywhere on the web as there is today. And so I kinda fell into UX by simply applying to a UX Designer job posting in my hometown area of which there was no expectation of a lot of experience but more so a design background as a plus. From there, I was hired into a newly formed product team where I learned agile and design thinking methodologies which really kickstarted my UX career.
What made you want to transition from UX to Product Management?
In my previous place of employment, I was caught in an awkward position where my previous Product Manager left my team during the beginning of the pandemic and also during a company-wide hiring freeze. And so with not much option for my team, I volunteered to step up as the Product Manager and “dual-rolled” as the team’s Product Manager and UX Designer for a year. Since then that valuable experience has really helped me for a smooth transition from being a Sr. UX Designer to a Sr. Product Manager today.
What qualities do you think a Product Manager should have?
I think one of the biggest qualities Product Managers should have is to be ultimately obsessed with users and/or customers. That means getting in front of customers to receive valuable qualitative and quantitative feedback that will be used as the primary engine for making decisions on the product. Product Managers have the unique position of making decisions between business needs, user experience, and engineering. Because of this, I also think it’s really important to be fantastic communicators, listeners, and equal collaborators when working with multiple disciplines on the team such as UX Designers, engineers, QA, etc. Just because Product Managers make a lot of decisions for the direction of the product, doesn’t mean it should be a one person show that everyone delivers for. I believe it’s our duty to be able to respectfully listen to the expertise that make up the overall product team, and making sure that our teammates' voices are taken into consideration.
Do you feel represented in Tech?
I think this could be a complex question. As an American Filipino, I think there isn’t much representation in tech within the US. In my experience, I haven’t seen or met a lot of Filipinos in tech. I’m sure there’s plenty out there, but that’s what I love about Filipinx in Tech. It shows that I’m of course not alone. However, as an Asian American in general, there is plenty of representation in tech but unfortunately, that only goes so far. There needs to be more representation from a leadership standpoint. Whether being Filipino or Asian in general, the statistics show the misrepresentation in leadership positions in tech globally. This is why I am involved in an Ethnic Resource Group (ERG) for Oracle’s Asian Professional Leadership (OPAL) community. It’s there where I help to fight for that representation.
Do you feel supported by the Filipinx community?
Absolutely. As an adoptee and being raised outside of the Filipino culture, I’m still very fresh on my journey to reconnecting to my Asian roots. However, every Filipino I’ve ever met has been nothing but open arms and absolutely supportive and understanding of my journey personally and professionally. Big thank you to the Filipinx community for giving me this opportunity to highlight who I am.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to break into tech?
One of my biggest pieces of advice I have is to stay resilient, stay curious, and be patient with yourself. The tech space is full of some of the most intelligent and creative people you’ll ever meet or know of. It can be quite easy to fall into a habit of imposter syndrome that will always have you questioning if you’re good enough, or if you will ever be that “Senior” role, or if you should you just out right give up. I can tell you, from having no college background and grinding my way into tech, there were so many times I caught myself thinking I was not smart enough to be where I am. Even being a former Senior UX Designer and now Senior Product Manager, I STILL get imposter syndrome often. Just remember, that is normal and we’re all on the same playing field of being human. The way I combat imposter syndrome is to stay curious. Be genuinely interested about things and others, and try not to get caught up with comparing other people’s journeys with your own. If you stay focused on your own path, there is no other direction but to go forward. It all just takes time.
What is one thing you are passionate about outside of tech?
I believe I am very passionate about my friends. My friends are essentially my family. I enjoy taking care of the genuine connections I make with people and experiencing new things with them. Whether I can help you do something, visit coffee shops together, or experience somewhere new together, it’s very fulfilling to me.
How can people reach you and for what?
People can reach out to me via my email (uxsmithdesign@gmail.com), my LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ux-smith), or just DM me on my instagram profile (@timothyjames__). You can reach out to me just to say hi, or if there is something I can help you with in terms of UX, I give UX mentorship as well.