In continuing our celebration of women in tech for women’s month, Careers24 had an interview with Melanie van der Linde who works as a Product Manager for popular classifieds portal, OLX.

In continuing our celebration of women in tech for women’s month, Careers24 had an interview with Melanie van der Linde who works as a Product Manager for popular classifieds portal, OLX.

Melanie tells of how she got into her line of work and of how it was through “pure coincidence”.

“I worked in hospitality whilst finishing my degree and was in the right moment at the right time when a tech start-up was looking for a customer service manager. There are quite a few similarities between tech CS and hospitality. Melanie describes this is especially when you enjoy a high-paced environment such as the company she worked at previously.

Melanie studied her B.A of Communication Science through UNISA. I studied and worked full-time. “The course is 3 years, but I completed it in 4 years,” she says.

We asked Melanie what she loves most about her career and she had this to say. “The unpredictability and constant change. You need to be very comfortable with change in the tech industry, because with rapid developing technology and an ever-changing marketplace, stagnation is suicide. This naturally draws highly-motivated, dynamic people to you and creates a constant learning environment – with no place for boredom!”

Melanie shares some advice with Careers24 on what advice she has for someone trying to get into her line of work. “There are no real clear-cut “product management career paths” established in South Africa at the moment, i.e. you’re not going to qualify through obtaining a Product Management degree – they don’t yet exist. Melanie adds that, “Work experience will teach you what you need to know, and you should not be afraid to start at the bottom, and work very hard. The industry moves fast and if you can keep up, you will move up along with it.”