From Software Engineer to Product Engineer: Why I Changed My Title
The mindset shift that's changing how great engineers think about their work
A few months ago, I would have proudly called myself a software engineer.
But now, I prefer a different name: Product Engineer.
A significant shift is happening that all great engineers are experiencing right now.
It's a move from writing perfect code to writing good enough code that delivers real value through actual products.
It's not about abandoning your technical skills. It's about using them differently, with impact and outcomes in mind.
This change is happening fast. If you look at LinkedIn jobs, you'll see tons of product engineering roles available. So let's dive into this transformation.
1. What Am I Really Solving?
As a software engineer, my first instinct was to optimize or solve technical challenges.
I took pride in writing clean code and improving performance.
But as a product engineer, that instinct evolved. Now I start every task by zooming out and asking deeper questions:
Who is this feature really for?
What pain point is the user experiencing?
Is this the most valuable thing I can build right now?
Suddenly, it's not just about clean code. It's about how I can drive sales and growth for the product.
As a product engineer, I shifted my perspective from viewing requirements as checkboxes to seeing them as options.
This mindset shift changes everything.
I'm still writing lots of code, but I care more about what gets accomplished than just completing tickets.
Because at the end of the day, the best solution is the one that actually solves the problem for the user.
2. Finding The Metric That Matters Most
As a traditional software engineer, my success looked like technical excellence. I took pride in clean code and clever solutions.
But once I shifted to a product engineering mindset, my definition of success changed.
I started measuring the impact of my work in ways that matter to the business.
It's no longer about whether my code is technically perfect. It's about whether it delivers results.
This doesn't mean I stopped caring about quality. It means I understand quality in context. A feature that nobody uses is just wasted effort.
A quick change that boosts signup rates? That's progress.
Sometimes, the most impactful thing I can do isn't a major rewrite. It's changing the color of a button or adding a simple pop-up.
Small changes, when based on user insight, can lead to huge improvements.
3. The Build Trap I Didn't See Coming
It's easy to fall in love with building.
As an engineer, I thrive on curiosity. I'm drawn to shiny new libraries and architecture patterns.
I love it.
Prototyping something new feels exciting. Refactoring something old feels productive.
But the trap is that not everything that feels productive is valuable.
As a product engineer, my job isn't to build for the sake of building. It's to create with purpose. And that often starts by slowing down and asking a simple question:
"Does this solve a real problem for a real user?"
That question changes everything.
It means I don't blindly chase trends or over-engineer solutions. I don't create unnecessary features just because I can. Instead, I became laser-focused on outcomes.
Every line of code is a tradeoff.
The mindset shift here is simple but powerful: it changes from "can we build it?" to "should we build it?"
4. The Launch Is Just the Beginning
In traditional software engineering, success is often defined by delivery.
I close my tickets, merge my PRs, watch my feature hit production, and move on to the next sprint.
But releasing a feature is just the first step. What comes next is where the real work begins:
Did users actually use it?
Were there unexpected bugs or friction points?
Instead of waiting for perfect specs, I build a minimum viable version. I monitor the rollout and talk to real users.
Then I tweak, improve, or change direction based on what the real world tells me.
In this world, iteration beats perfection. Because perfection is a moving target.
The only way to hit it is by staying close to your users and improving often.
5. When Code Isn't Enough
In my old world, code was everything.
It's technical. It's focused. And it's safe.
But when I stepped into the role of a product engineer, the boundaries of my work expanded.
Pretty much overnight, my job wasn't just writing code. It's understanding context to build the right stuff.
I no longer solve isolated technical problems. I solve product problems, and that requires collaboration far beyond the dev team.
I work hand-in-hand with:
Product managers
Designers
Marketing teams
I began to realize that my pull requests are just one layer in a much larger system.
The way I name an endpoint might affect API documentation. The performance of my feature might impact user retention. Even a minor UI bug could frustrate hundreds of users a day.
I don't just ask: "Is the code correct?"
I also ask: "Will this feature create the experience we intended?" and "How does this fit in the larger picture?"
Product engineers zoom out before zooming in. I think in terms of outcomes, not just implementations. I realize the real value isn't just the code. It's the impact the code creates.
And once I started thinking that way, I built better products.
6. The Real Product Isn't the Code
It's easy to mistake the codebase for the product.
After all, it's where I spend most of my time debating architecture, picking the "best" libraries. And yes, those things still matter.
But the user never sees your code.
They don't care if you used a service layer, followed SOLID principles, or shaved 10ms off a database query. They care whether the thing you built works, makes sense, and solves their problem.
All that technical stuff still really matters. I don't want to downplay it. But I don't want to overhype it either.
That's the product engineer mindset shift:
The real product is the experience, not the code that powers it.
Product engineers understand this deeply. Instead of asking, "What's the most elegant implementation?"
I ask: "What's the simplest way to deliver this?"
This doesn't mean writing sloppy code. It means writing purposeful code.
Sometimes the leanest solution is the best one, even if it's not technically perfect. Sometimes skipping a layer of abstraction means shipping two weeks earlier. Sometimes refactoring can wait until there's a real pain point.
In short: Code is the engine. But the product is the journey.
And product engineers never lose sight of the destination.
The Bottom Line
This shift doesn't mean leaving software engineering behind. It means evolving the role.
When you adopt the mindset of a product engineer, your code becomes more than syntax.
It becomes a strategy. It becomes leverage. It becomes part of something bigger.
You're not just shipping software. You're shipping impact.
Cheers friends,
Eric Roby
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