Any thoughts about my updated PS greatly appreciated
Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2010 12:28 am
I will reciprocate if anyone wants any thoughts on theirs. This is my third draft, and I am very close to sending everything in.
When I graduated college my circumstances dictated that I find a job for a year until continuing my education. I was immensely ecstatic, and fortunate, to learn I had been hired to be a member of the legal team of a Fortune 500 medical devices company. My job as an intellectual property analyst would be to help free up the attorney’s time by searching patent databases, thoroughly reading and comparing patents and patent applications, and writing legal memorandums and briefs about my research. “No problem,” I thought. I chose History as my major because I enjoyed research and writing. I spent the first two weeks learning the absolute basics of the patent system and legal writing. The attorney was pleased enough with my progress to inflate my ego.
After the second week I was asked to conduct research on a competitor’s patent portfolio and assess possible non-infringement positions for one of our products. I applied what I had learned and scoured over numerous dense patents. I could not find any obvious ways in which our product did not infringe an existing patent. We met later to discuss my research. I went into vague detail about how xyz patent probably covers this, and 123 patent probably covers that so the product is probably not worth the risk. After I had finished, I learned what being a corporate attorney meant. He said, “Do you understand corporate expects this product to comprise 3% of our annual growth? Do you understand that if we cannot find a non-infringement position Wall Street’s expectations will not be met, lowering our stock price tremendously? Do you understand this is too important to be probable about?” I almost lost my first job after graduation less than a month in. Of course he would review everything himself, but he wanted me to work with a sense of urgency that I had not developed to that point. His criticism greatly affected me. I knew his position carried a lot of responsibility, but the seriousness did not fully resonate with me until then. I started over, but this time I noticed that the competitor’s product had a distinct fulcrum joining two parts of a device, while ours had two parts coming together to form a cohesive fulcrum unit. He agreed with me that this dull distinction was enough in which to build a defense, and I later presented my reasoning to the rest of the team. I learn more and more about patent law and business as time goes on, but on that particular day, as minute as it may seem, I gained an awareness of the type of mindset an attorney (or any professional for that matter) must have to succeed. Everyday I remind myself to avoid complacency in order to meet the expectations my employer has for me, and likewise that I have for myself in all aspects of my life.
My job has forced me to sharpen people, presentation, and business skills, along with a sense of self-efficacy that I did not always possess at earlier points of my life. When I began college, the thought of presenting research to a conference table comprised of an experienced attorney, engineers with PhDs in chemistry, and regional executives would have terrified me. Not because I lacked the intrinsic ability, but because I have been learning to overcome stuttering my entire life.
Gaining fluency has been the most difficult, but self-fulfilling task in my life. Sure, in grade school other kids would tease me and assign to me characteristics like “weird” and “dumb,” but I always knew stuttering did not define me. I took speech therapy until high school, and I improved a little bit each year. I still had trouble giving presentations, and I was not as charismatic as I wanted to be in everyday social situations, but I developed a fairly high level of fluency. During college I would force myself to actively participate in classes, and coordinated study groups for my Russian class. I am still not where I want to be, but I am proud of the progress I have made. I have learned that not being where I want to be provides never ending opportunities for my abilities and confidence to continue to grow. In this light, I do not think I will will ever be where I want to be and I like that idea.
My experiences have made me resilient. I am succeeding in my first job after graduating and gaining valuable professional and life skills every day. I have a clear focus on becoming a patent or corporate attorney, and I have gained knowledge and digested valuable advice about how to make this a reality. I am immensely excited about the experiences I will have, the difficulties I will endure, and the knowledge I will gain during law school.
When I graduated college my circumstances dictated that I find a job for a year until continuing my education. I was immensely ecstatic, and fortunate, to learn I had been hired to be a member of the legal team of a Fortune 500 medical devices company. My job as an intellectual property analyst would be to help free up the attorney’s time by searching patent databases, thoroughly reading and comparing patents and patent applications, and writing legal memorandums and briefs about my research. “No problem,” I thought. I chose History as my major because I enjoyed research and writing. I spent the first two weeks learning the absolute basics of the patent system and legal writing. The attorney was pleased enough with my progress to inflate my ego.
After the second week I was asked to conduct research on a competitor’s patent portfolio and assess possible non-infringement positions for one of our products. I applied what I had learned and scoured over numerous dense patents. I could not find any obvious ways in which our product did not infringe an existing patent. We met later to discuss my research. I went into vague detail about how xyz patent probably covers this, and 123 patent probably covers that so the product is probably not worth the risk. After I had finished, I learned what being a corporate attorney meant. He said, “Do you understand corporate expects this product to comprise 3% of our annual growth? Do you understand that if we cannot find a non-infringement position Wall Street’s expectations will not be met, lowering our stock price tremendously? Do you understand this is too important to be probable about?” I almost lost my first job after graduation less than a month in. Of course he would review everything himself, but he wanted me to work with a sense of urgency that I had not developed to that point. His criticism greatly affected me. I knew his position carried a lot of responsibility, but the seriousness did not fully resonate with me until then. I started over, but this time I noticed that the competitor’s product had a distinct fulcrum joining two parts of a device, while ours had two parts coming together to form a cohesive fulcrum unit. He agreed with me that this dull distinction was enough in which to build a defense, and I later presented my reasoning to the rest of the team. I learn more and more about patent law and business as time goes on, but on that particular day, as minute as it may seem, I gained an awareness of the type of mindset an attorney (or any professional for that matter) must have to succeed. Everyday I remind myself to avoid complacency in order to meet the expectations my employer has for me, and likewise that I have for myself in all aspects of my life.
My job has forced me to sharpen people, presentation, and business skills, along with a sense of self-efficacy that I did not always possess at earlier points of my life. When I began college, the thought of presenting research to a conference table comprised of an experienced attorney, engineers with PhDs in chemistry, and regional executives would have terrified me. Not because I lacked the intrinsic ability, but because I have been learning to overcome stuttering my entire life.
Gaining fluency has been the most difficult, but self-fulfilling task in my life. Sure, in grade school other kids would tease me and assign to me characteristics like “weird” and “dumb,” but I always knew stuttering did not define me. I took speech therapy until high school, and I improved a little bit each year. I still had trouble giving presentations, and I was not as charismatic as I wanted to be in everyday social situations, but I developed a fairly high level of fluency. During college I would force myself to actively participate in classes, and coordinated study groups for my Russian class. I am still not where I want to be, but I am proud of the progress I have made. I have learned that not being where I want to be provides never ending opportunities for my abilities and confidence to continue to grow. In this light, I do not think I will will ever be where I want to be and I like that idea.
My experiences have made me resilient. I am succeeding in my first job after graduating and gaining valuable professional and life skills every day. I have a clear focus on becoming a patent or corporate attorney, and I have gained knowledge and digested valuable advice about how to make this a reality. I am immensely excited about the experiences I will have, the difficulties I will endure, and the knowledge I will gain during law school.