Engineering Applicants 2010 Forum

[arklogic]

CS in UG checking in.

[odon59]

B.S./M.S. Optical Engineering, 6 years WE in areas like photo-lithography and space telescopes. In at Santa Clara FT (11k/year scholly) and Fordham PT. Definitely leaning towards Fordham at this point. Still have to hear back from about 10 more T1 schools.

I plan on taking the patent bar this spring - I think I'd like to do some prosection work for a few years and then try lit if I can. I've found a few firms in NYC that have advertised optics IP practices, but I'm not sure what the market will be like since it's such a small niche industry. My background also has some overlap with EE (semiconductors, display tech, etc).

[BarCliff]

Seems like everyone is either EE or CS.

Anyways, I'm ME from Georgia Tech.

Anyone have any idea how job prospects are for ME IP attorneys? Starting to get a little worried, trying to do research on the subject but it seems like not too much info is available.

[tesoro]

EE checking in. Likely attending Fordham's evening program, though I'm not committing to anything until the end of the cycle. I'm surprised to see the abundance of us here! My understanding is that we're severely underrepresented in the law community.

[MC Southstar]

Comp Sci UG @ RPI. In @ UPenn '13.

Taking the patent bar before fall just so I have it under my belt, like Desert Fox, open to IP and have taken classes about it, would prefer to be in LIT or USPTO not applicant-side prosecution, but not dead set on IP.

I hate to be Ms. Doom and Gloom, but shadow- you need to make sure (if you haven't done so already) that your Computer Science program is accredited by one of four specific groups listed in the link I'll post below. Computer Science majors are not allowed to take the patent exam unless it has been accredited.

http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/dcom/olia/oed/grb.pdf

Nah, I know this. My school isn't accredited by ABET (though it certainly SHOULD be, it is just retarded to put emphasis on such an arbitrary accreditation program), but I meet the other qualification under Option C regarding 8 credit hours of physics and 32 combined credit hours of relevant comp sci coursework(need to get this cleared but I'm pretty sure I'm fine).

[aerospaceUT10]

Seems like everyone is either EE or CS.

Anyways, I'm ME from Georgia Tech.

Anyone have any idea how job prospects are for ME IP attorneys? Starting to get a little worried, trying to do research on the subject but it seems like not too much info is available.

ASE here, so in terms of patent work, I'll probably be doing similar stuff with you.


I have heard that EE is still the most marketable, so we might not get as much of an advantage in terms of job prospects...but would love to find more information on this as well.

I did some resume searches on patent attorneys with ASE/ME undergrads, and didn't seem like they had trouble landing positions without an EE masters or anything of that sort. But that's very limited research.

[MC Southstar]

If you don't already know about it:

http://www.intelproplaw.com/

IP specific resource for aspiring and working professional patent agents/attorneys

[nicdmx]

EE here with close to 7 years experience working space systems for the US Government. Have both my BSEE and MSEE from a top public engineering school.

I'm somewhat interested in IP as well, but am also interested in Environmental Law. I am particularly interesting in working with small firms in the green-tech industry and/or working policy associated with helping the environment through technology. I think the green-tech industry will be a very exciting one to be involved with over the next many years.

On some level I'm also thoroughly disgusted with the contracting practices of the government and am interested in the policy and regulations which enable government acquisitions to defy even the most common sense.

So far this cycle I'm in at Harvard, UVA, Berkeley, and Georgetown.

[MC Southstar]

EE here with close to 7 years experience working space systems for the US Government. Have both my BSEE and MSEE from a top public engineering school.

I'm somewhat interested in IP as well, but am also interested in Environmental Law. I am particularly interesting in working with small firms in the green-tech industry and/or working policy associated with helping the environment through technology. I think the green-tech industry will be a very exciting one to be involved with over the next many years.

On some level I'm also thoroughly disgusted with the contracting practices of the government and am interested in the policy and regulations which enable government acquisitions to defy even the most common sense.

So far this cycle I'm in at Harvard, UVA, Berkeley, and Georgetown.

Grats. Hope you get where you wanna be.

[gtbubblehead]

Seems like everyone is either EE or CS.

Anyways, I'm ME from Georgia Tech.

Anyone have any idea how job prospects are for ME IP attorneys? Starting to get a little worried, trying to do research on the subject but it seems like not too much info is available.

Another ME ('03) from Georgia Tech checking in. Good luck to everybody!

[BriaTharen]

This was posted by digitalcntrl in another thread on the Legal Employment board that kind of answered the question about MEs:

This is because of the exclusivity, as you mentioned, since firms and their clients require a technical degree. However, such a broad statement is not wholly accurate:

1. Not all degrees are equal: EE degrees are greatly in demand. Other engineering degrees such as ChemEs and Mech Engr. are somewhat less demanded. At the bottom of the pile are biology and chemistry majors (you basically need a PhD for such fields). Also remember that not all technical degrees can even take the Patent Bar (which is required to work before the patent office). For example a Math major is no eligible to sit for the Patent Bar.

2. Unlike general practice, your JD is not worth as much as your technical degree in the eyes of clients and prospective employers especially in patent prosecution. Thus it would be good to do well in your UG and/or possibly have technical work experience though good grades in law school certainly don't hurt.

[awesomepossum]

2. Unlike general practice, your JD is not worth as much as your technical degree in the eyes of clients and prospective employers especially in patent prosecution. Thus it would be good to do well in your UG and/or possibly have technical work experience though good grades in law school certainly don't hurt.

I think there is a major caveat to this. If you're like me and wanted to do IP at a big general practice firm, the law school and grades are still very very important. The reasons is that candidates have to be okayed by the same hiring committee as everybody else. Having a technical degree does make life easier (I got firms I never would have without my EE degree and research) BUT I also wouldn't have gotten the V10 - V15 firms without the name school either especially in this environment.

If you go to the patent job fair you'll see a lot of patent boutiques and some big GP firms especially the majors in IP (Kirkland, Ropes etc etc) but there are a lot of top notch general practice firms that don't go to those that you'll have to see at OCI....so you want to go to a school that will have the draw to bring those firms into OCI.

[r6_philly]

CS in UG here with over 10 years of WE as software engineer/web developer/dba. Was a ME/Math major first time around, dropped out to work as a web developer. I am not so sure about patent law so much. I think I want to focus on cyber law since it seem like a new frontier that is yet to be fully developed. Privacy/IP/Security are the areas that really interest me and also fit my WE. I also have quite a bit of interest in public interest/academia so I think I will see how law school will change me.

[englawyer]

ME u-grad here. not interested in IP law that much, but maybe i will catch the bug in LS. mostly interested in M&A work, VC financing, etc

[nateDgr8]

Civil Eng here. Not planing on IP work but I feel that there was an admissions bump due to the engineering degree. I got CLS ED on the first day they sent out offers and NYU RD early with boarderline numbers.

[englawyer]

Civil Eng here. Not planing on IP work but I feel that there was an admissions bump due to the engineering degree. I got CLS ED on the first day they sent out offers and NYU RD early with boarderline numbers.

thats a good sign! anyone else see a bump?

[aerospaceUT10]

Now here's a question for all of you:


Are you entering law school because you simply are pursuing something that you also find interesting to you, or because you think you will/you do dislike actual engineering work?


I actually do like the kind of engineering work I've been around and am not pursuing law school because I am disillusioned/uninterested by engineering careers.

[englawyer]

Now here's a question for all of you:


Are you entering law school because you simply are pursuing something that you also find interesting to you, or because you think you will/you do dislike actual engineering work?


I actually do like the kind of engineering work I've been around and am not pursuing law school because I am disillusioned/uninterested by engineering careers.

as i mentioned in previous threads, i think the engineering career path is bogus, so you can put me in the disillusioned camp. under-compensated, over-specialized, and limited opportunities for advancement.

the work is somewhat interesting but gets old after a while. i also hate how the best engineers produce 10x the median, but yet are compensated the same (i would like to think im in that best category lol). i want to enter a profession where the best are compensated accordingly and you can reap what you sow.

i am much more excited about career possibilities in law and business.

[weis14]

ME Here. Looking at schools throughout the midwest. In at Wisconsin with other applications still pending. I am leaning towards environmental or energy law, but am considering IP as well. I graduated from a small public school in MI in 2007 and have been working in the auto industry ever since. For me, law school seems to be a way to become more valuable in a difficult employment environment. I took several courses towards a MSME through a tuition reimbursement program at work, but did not really like it.

[SR86]

Engineering Physics UG and MS here. In at NYU and Toronto so far and JR1 scheduled with Harvard so I feel like there might have been a bump due to softs, including my major in UG and my MS.

[jerjon2]

UG at Georgia Tech in EE here (2010) and in at UChicago for class of 2013 ED.

[jerjon2]

Now here's a question for all of you:


Are you entering law school because you simply are pursuing something that you also find interesting to you, or because you think you will/you do dislike actual engineering work?


I actually do like the kind of engineering work I've been around and am not pursuing law school because I am disillusioned/uninterested by engineering careers.

This is the main reason for me. Granted I'm still in undergrad, but it took about one 2 years of school and a few semesters of research for me to think that real engineering wasn't for me. I'm also not a fan of salaries that top out at 120k (unless you're a genius, which I'm not...)

[EricM]

Hi, another EE here. What value would you guys place on work experience as far as succeeding in this field? I was planning on going straight into law, patent prosecution. Also, I may just be being modest, but I don't feel like I'm learning much with my BSEE degree - I'm still a junior, though.

[CE2JD]

Wow... there's a lot of EEs in the class of 2013.

<---- Glad I'm class of 2012

[zreinhar]

EET checking in (Elect Eng Tech), and for reference, the degree is a little diff than the typical EE degree, but I just passed the FE (EIT) for Georgia without any studying, I also have two years of undergrad research at Georgia Tech (can't wait for the orange bowl) and FWIW I also minored in math. I interned for free at a local boutique firm this past semester and loved it (it was even boring prep and pro) I will be sitting for the patent bar this spring and hopefully clerking with the firm until then. Took the december LSAT, so patiently waiting for the next week to see where I'm good at getting in. 3.71 LSAC UGPA. Hoping hard for Emory, dream would be Berkeley or Stanford. Have a family friend who is partner patent attorney, so hopefully employment wont be too hard to come by. If push comes to shove and I get a poor LSAT score, I may just end up at Georgia State. Anyways, I went to the LSAC forum in Atlanta this year and heard diff things from diff schools about the storied "engineering gpa." Some schools mentioned that it is heavily considered, others said it didnt matter, so it should be interesting. Otherwise good luck to all and I'll be sure to update with cycle plans.. and for those interested:

http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com/zreinhar