Lots of people want to become developers who, like me, didn't go to school for computer science. The good news is: It can be done. Some of the most talented engineers and familiar entrepreneurs behind successful tech companies taught themselves to code. But, that doesn't mean it's easy. I was working on the support team at HubSpot when I started learning how to build software in hopes of becoming an engineer and I quickly realized you can't just dabble in programming. You have to go all in.

In an engineering organization with many small teams, it’s important to develop technical leaders who can be both successful engineers and effective mentors. Depending on the company, team, or person, there’s a lot of variation in what that looks like in practice. At HubSpot, our definition of a tech lead (TL) clearly states: They should spend most of their time on the product, not on people.

Whether you’re trying to break into the world of product management or have been part of it for years, interviewing for a product manager role is hard. There’s no one right answer to any question because there’s no one right way to do product management. The skills and perspectives that would make you a great PM at one organization might not translate at others. But there’s one thing that is true across the board and that’s that preparation can make or break an interview.

Companies invest a lot of calories into recruiting and hiring engineers. We obsess over helpful prep information, interview questions, and timely follow-up emails. Creating a great experience shouldn’t stop once someone's accepted an offer, though. The time right before a new hire starts and their first few weeks are just as important, if not more, in shaping how engaged and happy they’re going to be on your team.

The 2015 Grace Hopper Celebration is less than a month away and women from all over the country are getting ready to take over Texas, see as many talks as possible from speakers like Sheryl Sandberg, and meet a ton of new people that are passionate about product development. If that sounds awesome, it’s because it is.

Sometimes self-doubt can make you feel like a fake. You’re convinced you’re a fraud and that it’s just a matter of time until your co-workers find out you’re not as smart as they thought. Looking at your achievements doesn’t really help because you’re too busy internalizing your mistakes. If this sounds familiar, you might have something called impostor syndrome. You might also be an engineer.