I think you're right. Becoming a [good] product manager involves a long path that starts as an intern/co-op in college to assisting project managers, becoming one and polishing your skills in order to get those bigger projects and ultimately a product manager and/or operations chief. Granted, at a startup, anyone can become the product manager overnight, but in that enterprisey world it takes considerable more time and you have the added problem of extended down time should you lose your job, which can occur at a moment's notice if you're on the mid-level business side. Any decent engineer with experience under their belt is usually last to be fired and first to be rehired.
Witchcraft exists on the business side and its mysteries remain the domain of tall, handsome people. It really gets to me that even smart engineers will fall for it, too. Having been on both sides of the table I can tell you that engineers who take the stance that they shouldn't be making up the business rules are doing themselves a disservice. Most business types are sitting around waiting to be prompted by the engineers and have no clue of how something is supposed to work until the actual work is done. /End rant.
Witchcraft exists on the business side and its mysteries remain the domain of tall, handsome people. It really gets to me that even smart engineers will fall for it, too. Having been on both sides of the table I can tell you that engineers who take the stance that they shouldn't be making up the business rules are doing themselves a disservice. Most business types are sitting around waiting to be prompted by the engineers and have no clue of how something is supposed to work until the actual work is done. /End rant.