Why I Chose an EMBA to Bridge Tech & Product?
- blogs, product management
- 4 min read
Authors: Hema Jayaprakash – Senior Architect at Philips
I’m Hema Jayaprakash, and I have close to 20 years of experience in the IT industry. My professional background is built on strong technical skills, but my next career goal is to bring those skills into the product space.
Over the next year, I want to blend my technical experience with products and move into a product leadership role. More specifically, I see myself becoming a technical product leader.
Building on a Strong Technical Foundation
Technology has been central to my career for nearly two decades. That experience has given me a strong technical foundation, but I now want to use it in a role that is more closely connected to products.
My goal is not to leave my technical skills behind. I want to bring them into product leadership and build a career that combines both areas.
For me, bridging technology and product is the next step in my professional journey. I want to understand how my existing experience can contribute to products while I develop as a leader.
Becoming a Technical Product Leader
One year from now, I want to see myself working as a product leader or technical product leader.
This aspiration reflects the combination I am looking for in my next role. I want to remain connected to technology while becoming more involved with products and product leadership.
After close to 20 years in IT, I am looking at how I can use my experience differently. A technical product leadership role would allow me to bring my professional background and my interest in products together.
That is the goal I want to achieve over the coming year.
Why I Chose an EMBA?
I chose an Executive MBA at the Institute of Product Leadership because of two important aspects: real industry experience and the opportunity to learn through the cohort and industry leaders.
At this stage of my career, I wanted a learning experience connected to the realities of the industry. I was particularly interested in hearing from professionals who could share experiences from their own careers.
This industry connection made the program relevant to my goal of moving from a primarily technical background towards product leadership.
Learning From Real Industry Experience
One of the main reasons I chose the program was its focus on real industry experience.
Industry leaders come to the program and share what they have experienced in their professional roles. These are not experiences separated from the workplace. They come from situations the leaders have encountered during their careers.
Learning from these experiences can help me grow as I prepare for a technical product leadership role. It allows me to hear directly from people who understand the challenges and responsibilities connected to the industry.
For someone with close to 20 years of experience, this practical industry perspective was an important part of choosing the program.
Growing Through the Cohort
The cohort was another aspect that influenced my decision.
A cohort brings together people with their own professional journeys and experiences. Learning in such an environment creates opportunities to listen to others and understand what they have encountered in their careers.
My learning can therefore come from both industry leaders and the people studying alongside me. This combination adds to the real-world experience of the program.
As I work towards becoming a product leader, learning through the experiences shared by the cohort can support my professional growth.
Taking on Challenges and Learning New Things
I consider myself a go-getter. I enjoy taking on challenges, experimenting with them, learning new things, and working towards completing difficult tasks.
This approach has remained important throughout my career. It is also relevant to the transition I now want to make.
Moving from a strong technical background towards product leadership is a new professional challenge. It gives me an opportunity to learn, experiment, and work towards a goal that brings technology and products together.
How Knitting and Crochet Help Me Reset
One lesser-known fact about me is that I enjoy knitting and crochet.
These activities involve repetitive patterns, which help me reset my thinking. It is a personal interest that I usually keep to myself, so many people may not know about it.
While my professional life is connected to technology and new challenges, knitting and crochet give me a different kind of experience through patterns and repetition.
Bringing Technology and Product Together
My next career step is clear. I want to combine my technical skills with products and grow into a technical product leader.
The real industry experience, perspectives shared by industry leaders, and learning available through the cohort were the key reasons behind my decision to pursue an EMBA.
I am approaching this journey with the same mindset I bring to other challenges: a willingness to experiment, learn new things, and work towards achieving a new goal.
