Patent agent as second career? Please advise.
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Anonymous
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We are returning to live in the US after 10 years abroad, where I couldn't work.
I have an MS in molecular biology. Do you think passing the patent bar exam and reinventing myself as a patent agent in DC might be a good career move? A patent agent does not need to attend law school, they can prep by themselves and take the patent bar. It takes a few months. They assist with the technical aspects of patent writing, and need both knowledge of patent law and their specific field of science. My degree dates from a while back: do you think taking courses online from Harvard or MIT (there are some on EdX and other online learning platforms) would indicate I'm current on new technology? I've actually kept up with new developments, but I'd like to prove it on my resume. I think the only part that's not clear to me is gaining actual patent writing experience while I do these other things. Is that what's usually done? Where do I start with that? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks. |
Anonymous
| It used to be a Cush job but during the financial crisis a ton of people went this route and now it’s way over saturated (especially with just a bio degree). It might be a viable option, but don’t assume it will any kind of guarantee whatsoever in terms of future employment. You might do great but it’s much harder to do well now than it was in the past. |
Anonymous
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An MS will be limiting in the bio field. You’ll be competing against PH.Ds.
Maybe try being a patent examiner? |
Anonymous
| Go work as a tech at FDA or something |
Anonymous
Pays considerably less. |
Anonymous
Those jobs are really competitive |
Anonymous
| Patent prosecution is increasingly commoditized with lots of pressure on firms to lower costs. |
Anonymous
She can apply to both and then when she gets both offers, she can decide. Right now it pays more than zero. |