Career Stories: A Chat with Nathan Studholme, Head of Product
Welcome back to Careers Stories! Follow this series, where we’ll hear from Depop folks at various stages of their career journey, as we shine a light on how they reached their version of success – and the people that helped them along the way. This week, we're chatting with Nathan Studholme, Depop’s Head of Product.
Early Career
I initially wanted to study a degree in Graphic Design fresh out of school, but after a few interviews with universities it became clear that my skill set perhaps wasn’t quite up to scratch (awks). So I decided to think more broadly about what I enjoy and came to the conclusion that both business and creative topics were more my thing; so I ended up completing a degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications.
Straight after my degree I took on a role as a Marketing Assistant for an estate agency based in London; the scope of the role was varied and gave me exposure to all different types of tasks. We were a marketing team of two with a broad remit, but more specifically, were tasked to work with agencies to relaunch the company’s website. Back then I had no real concept or understanding of what Product Management was. But in a sense, I ended up doing that role. As my role was broad, I didn’t just cover digital topics, I’d also work on things such as the many letters and pamphlets you get through your door telling you to sell your house (sorry!).
Having a broad exposure to different tasks early on in my career helped me to gain a better understanding of what I had a real passion for. I eventually landed into product management full time and feel very fortunate to do this every day!
The journey to your current position...
Throughout my career I have always sought out opportunities that will expose me to new situations or challenges. Early on in my product career I stayed at the same level as a Product Manager for some years, but tried to work across different domains where I could within that level. In doing so, I have been able to work with a broad range of people and get a wider variety of perspectives, as well as business context. Whilst these weren’t promotions as such, they gave me a great sense of accomplishment and energy by getting stuck into something new.
Additionally, I think it's important to just try things and see how they go, even if it is beyond the definition of your day to day role. As an example, I knew that I enjoyed working with people and supporting them, so I decided to become a mentor. This helped deepen my understanding of what people need and gave me skills in being someone to talk to, as well as how to support their growth. For me, doing this earlier on in my career helped to solidify that I wanted to be a people manager and I could then shape my career path with this in mind.
Life at Depop
In a previous company, I was offered a position in a different area and I wasn’t sure whether I should take it. I talked through this with a mentor I had at the time and she asked me where I felt most comfortable. My response was that I felt most comfortable in the current role, and she told me to take the new opportunity. She acknowledged that I had experienced a lot in my current position, but said that sometimes to get the most learning and development, you should get out of your comfort zone. This advice has stayed with me and helped me to think with a career growth mindset.
Depop is a growing company, which means that new opportunities will arise; stay open minded and don’t shy away from a new challenge. I have been lucky enough to work in different product areas during my time at Depop which has been an amazing learning curve and given some fantastic experiences. But these opportunities aren't limited to just new job openings, as there are other initiatives such as mentoring, ERGs and more; take the leap and you may find out something new about yourself.