What made you decide to choose Product Management over Product Marketing?

I am very much a systems thinker and like to understand the whole. I started my product career focusing on product management but quickly was exposed to the different facets of product management incl product design, engineering and product marketing. I wanted to do a bit of a deep dive in each of these areas so I could better understand how to use them in my craft. So I worked in those spaces, built out teams and best practices around how to do them well. Ultimately, I did that in service of making myself a stronger product/technology leader. I feel that as a product manager, you should be comfortable and aware with product marketing principles and be able to be a strong partner in the space. I'm not sure I ever really chose product management over product marketing. I just incorporated it into my product toolkit.

The two disciplines are very different, despite some intersections on go-to-market, outbound communications, and occasional blurred lines between the roles in some companies regarding strategy and customer requirements. Early on in my career I had the opportunity to simultaneously work in both functions and experience them. Product Management has very broad scope and deals directly with technology. Ultimately, for me, building (or fixing) products felt most rewarding. :)

This might not be the answer you'd expected ;) 

I'm a first-generation immigrant, and I didn't really have a choice early in my career. I simply needed a company to sponsor my visa. After changing four jobs in the first year, I joined a company that was willing to invest in my immigration. Luckily, my new role was at the intersection of marketing & product, so I had to see both directions. 

I chose Product as I wanted to build things and understand how they work.