A few questions about this career path
Hi everyone,
I have for a number of years been considering a career change and have been thoroughly researching all the various directions in which I can pivot from my current position/experience.
My background: I have a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, and did a 3-year postdoc in a lab specializing in chemical biology/drug discovery/medicinal chemistry. I have just finished my first year as a staff scientist at an academic institution doing similar work to what I did in my postdoc.
I heard about the career of patent agent and made this post to learn a bit more about it. Several replies to my post told me to check out patent examiner, a career I'd never heard of. After doing some further research into this option, I see that it checks two major boxes of mine: option for fully remote work and good work life balance (around 40 hrs/week). Apparently the benefits are also very good. Here is the current job posting for my field: https://uspto.usajobs.gov/job/804365800
Unfortunately, reality is often different from what is on paper, so I hoped to reach out to the community here to learn a bit more about this career. I'll put my questions in bullet format so they are easy to answer:
Is it accurate true that there is a good work-life balance? (On average near 40 or 45 hrs/week)
The job posting clearly states this position is fully remote.....Is this legit? We all know the bait-and-switch tactics that are used in the private sector who advertise fully remote position but then make you come into the office.
From the application it looks like someone with my background would enter at GS-11? The salary range for the position is $78,025 - $118,683 per year....where would I land? I currently make $104K/year and honestly, between my wife's and my salaries combined, we are pretty much paycheck to paycheck with all the bills, mortgage, daycare, car payment, 401K, etc. Plus we have another child on the way so life is about to get even more expensive. This is my main concern about this career option - dropping below even $100K would put a lot of strain on our family at the moment. Basically, I'm trying to figure out what grade and step I'd start at to try to figure out what my starting salary would be based on this chart. It seems almost guaranteed that I'd need to take a pay cut (perhaps even a significant one) if I were to pursue this career path.
What is career/salary trajectory like? I read on the .gov website that it takes 18 years to go from step 1 to step 10 within a grade.....so that's 18 years to from GS-11 step 1 ($79,206) to GS-11 step 10 ($102,963), assuming I'd start at GS-11 step 1....I wouldn't even be making what I currently make after 18 years of work as a patent examiner??? Am I missing something or is the trajectory really that slow? Are there further career options higher up the ladder, or is it kinda just the same position/demands from where you start (not necessarily a bad thing)?
As I understand it there is no prior experience with law required, nor is any additional certification (like passing the patent bar) needed. So, then, how does one go about preparing for an interview? Are there courses designed for this type of thing? Does one need to be familiar with patent law in some way?
Is there any chance for these career opportunities to disappear? It's possible I may need to stay in my current position for another 2 or so years. I'd hate to miss the opportunity for a work-from-home gig because I waited too long. Are these remote positions routinely available?
Finally, I welcome any general feedback on your experience. How do you like your job? For those who came from the research/academic world, are you happy with the change? Any input is welcome.
The work from home option is so appealing because it gives you complete control over your schedule (assuming you hit your hour requirement), freedom to live anywhere in the country and also avoids a daily commute (I currently commute 1.5-2 hrs per day and live in a city that I really despise). Combine this with the good work-life balance and this is such an appealing career. It's just the salary that worries me....I have kids to take care of and daycare especially is super expensive.
Thank you everyone!