TECHNICAL CONFIDENCE BUILDER: 2-Week Intensive Program

Your Starting Point

• Background: Non-technical (consulting)
• Timeline: 2 weeks (14 days)
• Anxiety Level: High (8/10 estimated)
• Target Role: Google PM
• Specific Fear: Freezing when engineers ask technical questions, fear of judgment

Important: Your consulting background is a STRENGTH. You bring structured thinking, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills that many technical candidates lack. Google knows this - they hired PMs from consulting for a reason.

---

WEEK 1: Foundation Building (Days 1-7)

Days 1-2: Core Technical Vocabulary

Goal: Build basic technical literacy without pressure. No “right” or “wrong” - just learning.

---

Question 1: In your own words, what is an API?

(Take your time. There’s no wrong answer here. Think of it like explaining to a non-technical friend.)

---

Question 2: What’s the difference between a database and a server?

---

Question 3: When you open Instagram, what happens technically? Walk me through what you think happens.

---

Question 4: What does “scalability” mean in tech products?

---

Question 5: Explain “the cloud” without using the word “cloud.”

---

Days 3-4: Product-Technical Connections

Goal: Connect technical concepts to product problems you understand.

---

Question 6: You’re a PM for Google Maps. A user reports “the map is slow to load.” What technical areas would you investigate?

(Hint: Think about data, networks, devices. No need for deep technical detail - just thinking out loud.)

---

Question 7: Google Photos offers “unlimited storage” (historically). What technical challenges does this create?

---

Question 8: YouTube has billions of videos. How do you think they organize and find videos so quickly when you search?

---

Question 9: Gmail loads almost instantly. Why is that harder than it sounds?

---

Question 10: You’re building a food delivery app. What technical systems need to “talk” to each other?

---

Days 5-7: System Thinking (Simple Scenarios)

Goal: Practice thinking through technical systems at a PM level (not an engineering level).

---

Question 11: Design a simple version of Google Calendar. What are the main technical components?

(Don’t overthink this. Just think: what needs to exist for a calendar to work?)

---

Question 12: Users complain your app crashes when their internet is slow. What might be happening?

---

Question 13: You want to add a “share” button to Google Docs. What technical considerations matter?

---

Question 14: Two users edit the same Google Sheet at the same time. How does that work technically?

---

Question 15: Your product has 1 million users. Suddenly you get 10 million users. What breaks?

---

---

WEEK 2: Interview Readiness (Days 8-14)

Days 8-9: Intermediate Scenarios

Goal: Handle more complex questions with confidence.

---

Question 16: Google wants to launch Search in a new country with slow internet. What technical tradeoffs would you consider?

---

Question 17: You’re PM for Google Pay. Walk me through what happens when someone taps their phone to pay at a store.

---

Question 18: YouTube recommendations get better the more you watch. How does that work technically?

---

Question 19: Gmail’s spam filter is 99% accurate. Why is that last 1% so hard?

---

Question 20: Design a notification system for Google Calendar. What technical decisions would you make?

---

Days 10-11: Technical Depth (Google-Style Questions)

Goal: Practice the depth Google expects while staying calm.

---

Question 21: ⏱️ 5 minutes: Explain how Google Search returns results in milliseconds when searching billions of pages.

(This is timed to simulate interview pressure. Just talk through your thinking.)

---

Question 22: ⏱️ 7 minutes: Design a basic version of Google Drive’s file sync. What happens when you save a file?

---

Question 23: You’re launching a feature that will 10x API calls to a backend service. What technical risks exist?

---

Question 24: Google Docs works offline. How do you think that’s implemented?

---

Question 25: Trade-off question: Fast product launch vs. scalable architecture. How do you decide?

---

Days 12-13: Mock Interview Simulations

Goal: Practice under realistic interview conditions.

---

Mock Interview 1: ⏱️ 15 minutes

“You’re the PM for Gmail. Engineers tell you that storing attachments is becoming expensive. How would you approach this problem?”

(Talk out loud. Ask clarifying questions. Show your thinking process.)

---

Mock Interview 2: ⏱️ 15 minutes

“Design a basic version of Google Photos’ search feature (finding photos by content, like ‘beach’ or ‘dog’).”

---

Mock Interview 3: ⏱️ 15 minutes

“You want to add video calling to Google Chat. What technical considerations would you prioritize?”

---

Day 14: Final Preparation

Mental Preparation Questions:

1. When you don’t know an answer, what do you say?

   • Practice: “I don’t have deep technical knowledge there, but here’s how I’d think through it…”
   • Practice: “Can I ask a clarifying question to make sure I understand what you’re looking for?”

2. When an engineer uses jargon you don’t know:

   • Practice: “Just to make sure we’re aligned - can you explain what you mean by [term]?”
   • (This is a STRENGTH - PMs clarify ambiguity!)

3. When you feel yourself freezing:

   • Pause technique: “That’s a great question. Let me think through this systematically…” (buys you 5 seconds)
   • Framework thinking: “I’d approach this by first understanding X, then considering Y…”

---

ANXIETY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

Throughout your 2 weeks, remember:

1. Normalize the anxiety: Every PM from consulting feels this. You’re not alone. The anxiety proves you care.

2. Reframe judgment: Engineers aren’t judging you. They want to know: “Can this person understand our constraints and communicate product needs?” You CAN.

3. Your superimposed advantage: Consultants excel at structured thinking, which is EXACTLY what Google wants in PMs. You have a framework for everything - use that!

4. PM vs. Engineer role clarity:

   • Engineers: “How do we build this?”
   • PMs: “What should we build and why? What tradeoffs matter?”
   • You’re interviewed for PM skills with technical awareness, not engineering skills.

5. Imposter syndrome reframe: “I’m not an engineer” → “I bring product and business thinking that complements engineering.”

6. Progress tracking: After each question you answer, you’re building evidence that you CAN do this.

---

HOW TO USE THIS PROGRAM

Daily Practice (Days 1-13):

1. Answer 2-3 questions per day
2. Write or speak your answers out loud (practice talking, not just thinking)
3. Time yourself on ⏱️ questions
4. After each answer, note: “What went well? What felt hard?”
5. Revisit earlier questions - you’ll be amazed at your progress

Day 14 (Day Before Interview):

• Review your best answers (build confidence)
• Practice your “I don’t know” responses
• Visualize the interview going well
• Get good sleep (anxiety makes this hard - plan relaxation)

---

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

By the end of Week 1, you should:

• ✅ Explain 10+ technical concepts in your own words
• ✅ Connect technical concepts to product problems
• ✅ Not freeze when you hear technical terms

By the end of Week 2, you should:

• ✅ Walk through technical systems confidently
• ✅ Ask clarifying questions without apologizing
• ✅ Handle “I don’t know” moments gracefully
• ✅ Think out loud under time pressure
• ✅ Feel your anxiety drop from 8/10 to 4-5/10

---

YOUR FIRST STEP

Start now with Question 1: In your own words, what is an API?

Answer it however it comes to you. No pressure. No judgment. Just start building momentum.

(When you answer, I’ll provide specific feedback highlighting your strengths and ONE actionable improvement. Then we’ll move to Question 2.)

---

REMEMBER

• You’ve prepared for consulting cases. This is the same skill - structured problem-solving.
• Every question you answer is evidence you can do this.
• Engineers WANT you to succeed. They need great PMs.
• Your non-technical background is an asset - you see product problems differently.
• Anxiety is normal. You’re learning to manage it, not eliminate it.

You’ve got this. Let’s start building your confidence, one question at a time.