A New Role, A New Me?: Life as a PO 💼

So, it’s been a while since my last post. Back then I talked about planting a seed, thinking about building something of my own. That thought still lingers somewhere in the background, but a lot has changed since then.

I moved into a new role. I’m now a Product Owner. It’s a shift from what I’ve done for the last 6 years. My world used to revolve around technical stuff — cybersecurity, cloud security, hands-on problem solving, staying deep in systems. But this new role? It’s different. It’s non-technical for me, compared to my earlier work, but it doesn’t mean the role itself is non-technical. In fact, I still do a lot of technical things. The difference is in the perspective.

This role comes with its own kind of chaos. I deal with Jira every day. My life is full of Epics, sprint planning, strategising, alignment meetings, random catch-ups, pressure, unexpected blockers, and shifting priorities. And surprisingly, I don’t hate it. I’m starting to enjoy it in a strange way. It feels like I’ve been thrown into a storm, but I’m slowly learning how to sail through it.

Long Hours, Again

I joined this new company thinking I’d finally get a work-life balance. That was one of the big reasons why I left my last job. But guess what? The long hours are still here. I still stay back at the office more than I should. I still find myself thinking about work long after I’ve logged out.

But this time, it doesn’t feel soul-sucking.

There’s a kind of freedom in this role. I get to do things my way. I always had a thing for clean-looking, well-structured content. Here, I get to play with that. I create detailed Jira tickets, document processes in Confluence, write up crisp release notes, and maintain structured knowledge bases. I like that kind of work. It sounds boring to many, but to me, it’s actually fun.

Still Technical, Just Different

Even though the role isn’t purely technical, I still get to engage with tech almost every day. The product is hosted on GitHub, so I regularly create pull requests, review code, approve changes. I may not write much code anymore, but I’m constantly interacting with it. I get to observe how things work at the integration level. I even deal with Grafana dashboards, though I’m still learning my way around them.

There’s enough tech to keep me stimulated.

Managing Without Micro-Managing

One thing I’m truly enjoying is the people side of this role. I get to lead a team. I assign tasks, align priorities, and support them wherever I can. I don’t micro-manage. I never liked that as an engineer, and I’m not going to do that now. If someone’s working on something, I trust them to take ownership.

I don’t believe in daily stand-ups just for the sake of it. So I scrapped them. We only sync when there’s something meaningful to share. Otherwise, I walk over to their desks, have a quick chat, and move on. I don’t need a calendar invite for everything.

We’re not in school. Everyone here is a grown-up. They know what needs to be done.

Helping Out Feels Good

There’s a Teams channel where folks post issues related to all the DevSecOps tools we use. Things break, people get stuck, and I try to help out. Sometimes it’s a simple message, sometimes I jump on a call, debug with them, and get things moving again. It’s a small thing, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment. It reminds me that I still carry my technical roots with me, even if I’m not deep in the code every day.

What I Need to Work On

Now, this part is important. One thing I really need to fix in myself is how easily I trust people. I’ve only been in this organization for about 8 months. That’s nothing compared to the years most of the others have spent together. They know each other well. I’m the new guy.

But I’ve always been open. If someone shares something with me — even if it’s a complaint, or something sensitive — I tend to bring it up directly. Sometimes I do it to defend them, or to lift their morale. But I’m realizing that’s not always smart.

I need to learn to be more diplomatic. I shouldn’t speak too much. I shouldn’t overshare. Even if my intentions are good, it can backfire. I should listen more, accept the flaws on both sides, and try to find middle ground. I don’t have to name-drop or call people out just to prove a point.

I’m learning that encouraging someone doesn’t mean I have to tear someone else down.

Learning to Balance

This role is very dynamic. There’s no fixed routine. Things change every day. Sometimes it feels like everything is broken and I have to keep gluing things together. Stuff comes in from all sides. It’s hard to manage at times, but I’m learning to survive it.

And more importantly, I’m learning that I need to build boundaries. Because while I’m out here solving problems, my wife is at home waiting for me. My family is waiting for a phone call, just to share a story or ask how I am. They deserve my time too.

I can’t keep putting them second just because work is noisy and demanding.

So I’ve been thinking about getting disciplined. Sleep early. Wake up early. Not just for health, but to get my time back. To make space for everything that matters. This role is forcing me to be more accountable, and that’s something I genuinely value. It’s not just about the job. It’s about becoming someone better.

Closing Thoughts

There’s still a lot I haven’t figured out. This role keeps throwing new things at me. But I like that. I like being challenged. I like that I’m growing — as a professional, as a person.

Let’s see what I pick up next. I’ll share more in the next post when I have new lessons to talk about.

Until then, Keep It Raw, Keep It Real! 😎✌️🔥