Have you ever heard the quote “If you build it, they will come.” from the movie Field of Dreams? That might have worked at the time that it was released, but in today’s economy that phrase speaks more to the dreamer than the successful person in technology.

Why? Because in today’s global economy, where there are lower barriers to entry for new businesses, products, and marketing, there are far more options for a customer or user to choose from.

To meet this shift in consumer behavior, companies are putting an increase focused on the consumer or user experience. This translates to understanding what problems users have, and building solutions that not only solve that problem, but also designing it in a way that is easy, useful, and intuitive to the end-user.

That’s where product designer Angélique Bélizaire,  steps in as she leverages her passion in design to help companies build online products, websites, and features that potential customers will actually use (and enjoy themselves while doing it)!

If you’ve been trying to figured out how to keep the security and structure of a well-established, large company while pursuing a life in tech, you’ll definitely want to listen to today’s episode with Alaric Eby (probably multiple times)!

Alaric’s journey starts right at the beginning of the most recent economic depression in the United States working at a Citigroup, a large financial institution in New York City. He’ll share his struggles in making his transition into Product Management at a smaller hospitality-focused tech company and how he’s currently solving problems through digital solutions at American Express.

Alaric has found his Empjoyment by asking himself “how and why” to build Jenga towers out of Legos (you’ll get it when you listen), which he applies in tech through product management. We dive into Alaric’s view on what a product manager is and what skills, approaches, and mindsets can lead you to success as well.