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I could use some advice on how to hedge my bets. I'm a mechanical engineer interested in patent prosecution, but not so interested that I wouldn't take a great job in a different field. I have significant ties to Seattle, friends and extended family in San Francisco, and weaker ties in LA and SD. I applied only to Seattle and CA firms for the PLIP. I'm worried that the demand for mechanical patent work is low and I will struggle to find a job in the field on the West Coast.
Top 8-13 school, top 30%, 5+ years of work experience.

What are my odds of getting a (non-lit) patent job on the west coast? Is it advisable to downplay IP for my school's OCI and hope to get a job on the West Coast, or should I bid heavily for NYC and accept my East Coast fate?

As you suspect, there isn't much demand for mechanical patent work on the West Coast. It's almost entirely computer science and electrical, with some pharma and biotech sprinkled in. In fact, I can't think of a single person in my big law patent group with a mechanical background.

You certainly have the crendentials for patent lit, but it sounds like you're not interested in that.

Are you interested in tech trans? You can probably spin your engineering background as beneficial for that.

Otherwise, it might be best to downplay IP as you mention.