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Topic: Working for the USPTO (Read 449577 times) |
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #620 on: Sep 20th, 2006, 5:22pm » |
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on Sep 20th, 2006, 2:06pm, Marie U. wrote:For me the interview process was pretty easy. I have a BSEE, had experience in Telephony and therefore "breeze-ly" enter the PTO. I lasted two years...left in great standing; but the job burned me really bad. I ended up divorcing and all. It is a job that demands a lot from you. Every bi-week you have to turn in your counts. Every quarter above 95% of prod (actually, it should be more than a 100%) or you're in for a bad ride with management.
Ironically, I'm thinking about going back. There's the hoteling going on now and it looks tempting to go back to Examining Hell. Pay's good. Benefits too.
Two points before I believe:
1) An SPE can make you or break you in PTO.
2) If you're starting; don't get greedy and look for a higher GS. It means more production. |
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You're not alone, the burnout is high and you end up going out on the engineering marketplace without any relevant experience and behind the curve in relation to those who graduated when you did and have been working. Recovering from that can be hard.
You could stay in the patent law field as an agent, but its the same type of work and the firms will burn you out too, without the same opportunity for promotion as the PTO.
Damned if you do... too bad a lot of people who start at the Office are so young they don't have a complete understanding of these things. They recruit heavily on college campuses.
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dave_lypiz
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #621 on: Sep 22nd, 2006, 9:12am » |
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A couple of previous posts make working as an examiner sound pretty grim. Is that the consensus? What kind of person really enjoys the job and what kind of person doesn't? does the job satisfaction of an examiner come mainly in the form of pay and benefits, or do you love the job itself? If it's the latter, what is it about the job that you love?
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Isaac
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #622 on: Sep 22nd, 2006, 3:00pm » |
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on Sep 22nd, 2006, 9:12am, dave_lypiz wrote:| A couple of previous posts make working as an examiner sound pretty grim. Is that the consensus? |
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Not a consensus. I shared an office with an examiner I knew quite well before we got jobs as an examiner. My friend really enjoys examining. He is also very successful and very productive. If you are good at the job and are trusted by your manager, you will find lots of things to like.
I don't know a good predictor for who can be a good examiner. If you are not good, or on a track to becoming good you won't enjoy the job at all.
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Isaac
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #623 on: Sep 23rd, 2006, 7:39am » |
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Concensus means majority, so i would have to disagree with Isaac and say that it is a concensus. Pointing to one examiner as an example is hardly convincing! Yes, many people like the job, but not a majority.
Personally i don't particularly like or dislike the job. Its a job and it suffices for now. But i'm trying to give an open and honest opinion of what i see around me every day. People who come to the Office should have a more realistic understanding of what they are getting into than i've seen on this board.
I would amend Isaacs remark to read:
If you are good at the job and are trusted by your manager, you have a much better chance of finding lots of things to like.
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guest33
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Re: Working for the USPTO
« Reply #624 on: Sep 23rd, 2006, 5:41pm » |
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It's not a dream job for most. But then again, if you're in the right field, you can get it with a 2.5 GPA and no experience. Chances are the people who are coming in similar to that don't yearn to work in industry, which from experience can be just as stressful as high-grade examining anyway.
If you take the job, take it with the expectation you'll be making GS-7 for a while, and anything after that is a plus. As was said before, don't be in a hurry to get promotions every year or you might just be digging yourself deeper into a hole.
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