Rachel Choy: Exploring Product Management at CCSCC
Management of Organizations (MGMT 166) at SCU is one of my favorite courses throughout my college career. It wasn’t only because I had a fantastic professor who engaged the class by hosting case studies, discussions, and simulations, but the curriculum was challenging. It poked at business ethics, morals, and my interactions with others. It made me reflect on myself and apply it on a larger scale with real consequences. It was the first class where I had to rigorously question why certain rules were rules, and consequently why my rules are rules.
Although this class was an introduction class, it was the beginning of my interest in management—more specifically product management—and product management is everywhere, with Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County (CCSCC) being no exception.
My internship thus far has shown a new perspective on how things function. I observed task delegation, prioritization, procedures, and processes. However, because businesses operate in immensely different ways, no book or 5-unit class can encapsulate the specificities of how tasks are managed. Of course, many general frameworks exist, but product management is very case-by-case. It’s difficult to explain how a project is completed from start to finish when businesses vary in structures such as team compositions, cultures such as work values, and finances which can determine outsourcing capabilities and platform subscriptions. It was only when I started to do the work did I learn about the necessity of constant coordination with other departments or the true importance of creating an organized Google Drive. These small details overlooked by textbooks are ones keeping things rolling at CCSCC.
One aspect I’m thankful for in the business school curriculum is the attention to common business abbreviations. It’s helpful to know when someone says, “This B2B product on SaaS and CRM optimization will increase the business’ ROI.” Not only do I understand the abbreviation, but I have a general understanding of the concept and how it relates to the work we’re doing. I do have to say I think I can name a business term if you throw any random three letters at me. I am super grateful for this exposure, and excited to see how I will apply my academic knowledge to the workplace moving forward.