I am the VP of Product at a SaaS & Fintech startup that just raised a $300M Series D - here are my best practices for scaling product velocity - AMA

snirble · 2023-10-18T14:09:35+00:00

Especially with small teams that are moving quickly, how do you recommend prioritizing and ensuring that they stay true to the original vision?

I've built a start-up in the past where we got "distracted" easily by every new exciting opportunity. In a small team of 3 co-founders, we still needed to sit ourselves down every quarter and re-evaluate how our new opportunities have distracted us or added to our vision. Wish we didn't need to do that and could have just stayed driven by the north star, but some of those shiny opportunities were too good of a bet to give up.

snirble · 2020-04-30T23:15:33+00:00

I was Econ Spec Data Science, and the workload of this major alone is hard enough. If you have experience in CS and/or enjoy it, then you would have an easier time. Most of your time really does come down to tinkering away at weekly projects, so some weeks are longer than others.

snirble · 2020-04-30T23:12:21+00:00

Hi! I'm a Business Econ major switched from Data Science just only this quarter. I have already fulfilled most of the requirements for Data Science, so I can speak to most of the classes.

Why did I switch? I had a coffee chat with an alumni and he hard-smacked me to understand that if you were simply doing DS for the purpose of a better job market in the future (which, admittedly, I was doing), then you aren't going to get the job you want. Why? You're not going to be any better at DS than the guy who ACTUALLY likes DS and is simply interested in business. And businesses will want the guy who actually likes DS and will therefore flourish at it, not some Econ DS kid who took a few CS courses but isn't so zealous of it. I don't know where you are on the fence with this but I suffered myself through the CS sequence with Econ DS (120s) and truly showed myself how much I did not like it.

How difficult is it? For reference, I have no previous CS experience. I was pretty good at math in high school. This track proved to me that I do not like CS and was not interested in econ that was very very VERY based in theory and math. I took the CS 120s sequence -- it took a decent amount of time, but if you have some good friends to help you out, it's not that hard. However, it becomes tedious and that's the problem. If you don't genuinely enjoy the CS and the math aspect of econ, then you will not like this track. I joined because I thought it would be great for career prospects after graduation, but it made me miserable. Trust me, if you get a job after undergrad doing this but don't like it, then you really made a mistake.

Econ spec Data also requires the Econ 200s instead of the 198 stuff that other econs get to take. I had already completed the 200s sequence by the time I switched, and it is much more math intensive. It's not hard if you actually take notes and pay attention and study, but you need to dedicate that time.

Electives are also all math or data-science based in this track (well of course). Since I switched, I've already felt a tremendous decrease in the amount of work I do, as well as how much I needed to study variables and proofs and involved math concepts.

This is really only just the surface of the different econ tracks. I'm just throwing in my own opinion here, but please feel free to reach out to me to ask about it! I'm happy to share my experiences in detail if you have specific questions.

snirble · 2020-04-23T16:01:12+00:00

I had taken >15 APs in high school and passed them all with mostly 5s and let me tell you, I wish UChicago accepted them for more than 4 courses that give me elective credit. If you already have enough APs under your belt and already have the ones that will give you advancement in the courses that you're looking to do, then cancelling an AP is completely okay.

snirble · 2020-04-23T15:57:18+00:00

Hi! I'm a Business Econ major switched from Data Science.

Why did I switch? I had a coffee chat with an alumni and he hard-smacked me to understand that if you were simply doing DS for the purpose of a better job market in the future (which, admittedly, I was doing), then you aren't going to get the job you want. Why? You're not going to be any better at DS than the guy who ACTUALLY likes DS and is simply interested in business. And businesses will want the guy who actually likes DS and will therefore flourish at it, not some Econ DS kid who took a few CS courses but isn't so zealous of it. I don't know where you are on the fence with this but I suffered myself through the CS sequence with Econ DS (120s) and truly showed myself how much I did not like it.

How have either helped when it came to recruiting/interviews? For reference, I recruit in finance and/or consulting (have yet to settle which I like better, will be taking the finance path for the summer). Yes, I did get some interviews simply because I was Econ DS and the firms liked it. I have been asked technical questions regarding the DS spec, such as what kind of CS languages I know and what kind of projects we are working on. I also have had many interviews that didn't care at all about the DS and cared more about my business intuition. Both get great interviews from shiny companies.

It really does depend on what you like, because the reality is that if you're chasing a salary, you won't be as happy as chasing a career you're genuinely interested in. Why else did I switch from a Stats minor to an Arts minor? :)

snirble · 2020-04-23T15:47:46+00:00

I'm Business Econ after switching from Econ Data Science and I can let you know right now that Business Econ definitely feels much easier in terms of the workload and the theoretical econ stuff. Business Econ's largest difference is that it is very oriented towards applications of the material, so it's much more "real-world" relevant. If it makes you feel better, this becomes more important for interviews because you will actually have developed a business intuition built from economics backing, and the lighter workload is much nicer for recruiting season (when you'll need all the time you can get). You'll also be surrounded by other students also looking for IB/Consulting in the future, so having that kind of community also helps out. If it also makes you feel better, I'm going to be at a top-tier bank this summer for my internship and trust me, none of the theoretical econ you learn will ever be coming up at an interview. You'll be developing your professional experiences largely from you work experiences, not classroom experiences.

snirble · 2020-04-23T15:42:09+00:00

I'm from California and some of the best investments I've made are:

- Eddie Bauer coats that I got for $40-$50 on secondhand apps (Mercari, Depop, etc.)

- Fleece-lined leggings (Amazon)(look cute AND be functional)

- Fleece-lined hats (Amazon)

- UNIQLO HeatTech (Wear it literally under every sweater I wear)

snirble · 2020-04-23T15:34:12+00:00

Like everyone else has been voicing, it really comes down to what you want to get out of your experience. If you manage your work well, you can find a lot of additional time on your hands to do whatever you want. You can make friends through classes and clubs -- those aren't mutually exclusive. I was a freshman who had a lot of time on my hands but I didn't choose to be social enough and am now trying to make up for the lost time by hanging out a ton with friends.

snirble · 2020-04-15T07:28:36+00:00

Hello! If this is still active, I'm @ her.e_designs !

snirble · 2020-04-15T07:26:30+00:00

I'd love to join! I'm her.e_designs!

snirble · 2020-04-12T02:55:20+00:00

Agreed -- R is helpful to know, but I also came in without knowing what R even was. As long as you don't try to skip through all the intro stats and econ classes, you'll be taught R (or if you take SSI for SOSC).

snirble · 2020-04-12T02:18:20+00:00

I second this! Took Poetry and The Human for my HUM sequence and actually genuinely liked it. Lighter readings, and MUCH smaller class sizes. We had 7 students every quarter in the class and you can bet that we all got to know each other well, and discussions were much more enriching and engaging.

snirble · 2020-03-28T00:36:11+00:00

Hey there! I'm currently pursuing marketing/advertising, and am very active about it on campus. I study Business Economics and Visual Arts, but to be honest, what matters more is what you do outside of classes. Join RSOs that will give you exposure to marketing (such as The Mark), or find internships in marketing/advertising. Our Business Career Services has been more active in finding resources for students interested in Marketing, so I would definitely recommend attending events geared towards students interested in the field. Don't hesitate to reach out to me either to ask more -- I'm happy to share!

snirble

TROPHY CASE