Inspiring Grads: Humanities 3

Jamie Masters

Job history

2020–Present Product Manager Aerobotics

2018–2020 Product Marketing Manager Aerobotics

2018 Design and Communications Coordinator Aerobotics

2017 Digital Marketing Intern Rhino Africa

2016–2017 Intern one2love agency

2015 Community Manager (Part-time) King James Group

Academic history

2014–2016 BA Media and Interactive Web Design University of Cape Town

What do you do?

As Product Manager (PM), I work with a team of engineers and a product designer to deliver products that serve our customers and fulfil our business needs. A PM interfaces with customers to understand their needs, and collaborates with the development team to produce solutions and products to solve our customers’ problems. All this is done while working with the commercial side of the business to ensure we’re building the right things at the right time to ensure business success. I also work with other PMs and our Chief Product Officer to define the product vision and strategy.

My favourite part is that I get to work closely with different parts of the business, and I get to be involved in executing the company’s vision, with an incredible team of software engineers.

How has your degree helped you in your job?

During my degree, I had the opportunity to become well-rounded in a digital capacity; I learned online writing skills, I was able to express myself creatively, I learned a bit of HTML and CSS, created a blog and got to work with many different people in varying roles. All of these skills, as well as the experience I gained doing internships, set me up with the know-how and confidence to begin working at a tech startup as a bit of a jack of all trades, and eventually mould my way into the career I’m in now.

What has been a highlight of your career so far?

Last year I was involved in the re-launch of our new webapp, called Aeroview. It’s an online software that’s used by farmers across the world, helping them to optimise their yields. The app has and continues to gain a lot of traction among our customers and prospects, and is a solid foundation upon which our business can build even more valuable products.

How did you juggle working part-time with your studies?

At first, knowing how to manage my time was a learning curve, but after a few weeks I got the hang of it. Being able to work part-time on a remote basis became super manageable. With the recent COVID-19 related shifts in the working world, these kinds of opportunities are thankfully more widely accessible now.

Whilst interning, since everything was online, I’d be able to set aside an hour in the morning or evening each day (depending on lectures) to focus on work, no matter where I was. At the end of the day, when you realise the value of the experience you’re getting (and the extra cash), it’s worth it to just compartmentalise and work smarter instead of harder. I made sure I spent my time wisely, devoting a set number of hours to studying and lectures, and a set number of hours to the internship on a weekly basis.

What did you learn during your internships?

Doing internships during and after varsity was the most valuable thing I could’ve done in terms of making my way into the career I’m in. I particularly learned a lot at Rhino Africa, where I was working beneath incredible leaders in the digital marketing space. At One2Love and King James, I learned how to be autonomous and independent.

How do you see your industry evolving in the near future?

The Precision Agriculture industry is an inspiring one to be in – remote sensing, smart machinery and artificial intelligence are among the many evolving technologies in the Ag space. As long as humans are around, we’ll need food, and we’ll need our food to be produced in more sustainable ways. Leaders in the Precision Ag space are constantly working with this in mind.

As for Product people (in any industry), or anyone wanting to move into the space of Product, this role is a great one to be in. You get to work with world-class technology, and have the opportunity to bring hard and soft skills to the table which are absolutely necessary in building a sustainable company that solves the right problems.

BOOK & COURSE recommendations

- For budding marketers: Learn hard skills like SEO and Google Adwords. This could set you apart from other candidates when looking for a job. The Google certifications are a great way to get started on that front.

- For budding Product people: There are a lot of Product Management courses out there, which can give you insight into what Product Management is about. This won’t replace experience (e.g. interning with someone in the role), but could entice you into the field.

A good book: “Inspired” by Marty Cagan. Cagan’s blog, “Silicon Valley Product Group” (https://svpg.com/), is worth following; he is a worldrenowned Product leader.