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Topic: Working for the USPTO (Read 452580 times) |
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Potential wannabe
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #530 on: Aug 22nd, 2006, 10:08pm » |
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Am I a good fit? Would they want someone like me?
My educational background is in chemical engineering but I wandered away to pursue other interests. Honestly I didn't want to: (1) spend time on the road, (2) put in long/irregular hours, (3) work in a lab/factory or (4) deal with the politics of academia. Now I'm re-visiting my past and thinking intellectual property might be a good fit for me.
Here's me: I enjoy reading, writing and critical thinking while seated at a comfortable desk. I can process and parse technical information a lot quicker than other people (including PhDs). I love cracking a variety of technical puzzles but ultimately prefer breadth to depth. I like to be around other educated or intelligent people of all ages and backgrounds but don't want close collaboration. I'm productive for 6-10 hours at a time without prodding but resent being pushed further and refuse to sacrifice my personal life. I'm fairly tolerant of an employer's shortcomings as long as I don't feel I am being personally disrespected or singled out.
I have a BS/MS in chemical engineering without any relevant work experience. I nearly completed a Ph.D. in chemical engineering but walked away before turning in my dissertation. I consulted on a couple of quick cases for an IP law firm and found it interesting enough, but declined their job offer because they wanted me to work 60 hours/week plus go to law school at night. I'm 32.
Any thoughts on if I would be a good patent examiner and fit in at the USPTO?
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guest
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #531 on: Aug 25th, 2006, 7:57pm » |
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I was wondering about schedules once training is over.
On the website, it says there are flexible work schedules, you can come in as early as 5:30am or as late as 11:30. I was told I could work either 3, 4 or 5 days a week at my interview. On the CD I got from the PTO job fair, there were patent examiners saying they could leave work in the middle of the day to play golf or do grocery shopping. This is hard for me to believe! My interviewer said you had to be at work within the same hour every day. What happened to maxi flex where you're allowed flexible starting and ending times? Is that over? Is this one of the changes that management is trying to make, to make work hours less flexible?
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #532 on: Aug 26th, 2006, 1:46pm » |
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I don't think anyone's getting rid of the flex schedules anytime soon. That wouldn't be... productive.
On the other hand, I believe you do have to "earn" the ability to set your own schedule. If your SPE doesn't see you making production while working "regular" hours of the day, they aren't going to let you just do as you please.
I'm still in training, so (above) is not from personal experience...
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guest
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #533 on: Aug 29th, 2006, 9:37am » |
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Whats better, trying to get a job interview at a job fair or trying to get a job interview at the PTO within whatever art unit your being considered?
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Joseph Smith
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #534 on: Aug 29th, 2006, 2:25pm » |
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I just got hired.  I am really looking forward to this new position and new location. I am driving there from CA and am wondering if anyone has any experience with finding a place to share through craigslist. Are roomate agencies more effective than responding to personal ads for rentals? thanks.
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