Alexander Mnatsakanov
Product Manager
Travelers
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
October 1991 - my family arrived in the United States from USSR, as refugees. My parents, younger brother and sister, and I came to the United States with no English, not knowing anyone.
Summer of 1994 - I was accepted into a workstudy program, in partnership between Hartford schools and local companies, and started working at The Hartford, in the IT Security area.
1995 - I graduated high school at 16 and started college, in Springfield, MA, moving out of my parents house.
1999 - I graduated college and had a job offer waiting for me, to work at The Hartford, in IT Security.
2000 - I got a job offer to work for a company in Long Island, NY, and I moved to Queens, NY.
June 2013 - my daughter was born.
March 2014 - I accepted a job with Travelers.
Education
High School
Bulkeley High School
Bulkeley High School
Bachelor
BSBA
American International College
BSBA
American International College
Career
Product Manager
I help design and deliver a product to our customers that supports their needs
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Technology
Engineering
Learning / Being Challenged
Day to Day
We have a daily meeting in the morning. Then I review the backlog of work for the rest of the week to ensure the development team has the next set of features to work on. Usually there's a demo or an overview to get the customer's perspective. Sometimes we engage in conversations with other stakeholders.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
I would say start by looking at what's generally available for everyone including linkedin articles and youtube videos. Attend an open house or a job fair, if only just to walk around and understand your interest areas. On LinkedIn, reach out to folks in a particular company / industry, and politely introduce yourself, and ask good questions. Do your research.
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Peers:
"What you are doing (product management) is a fad / phase, it won't work here, that's not how we do things."
Challenges I Overcame
First-Generation Immigrant
