Shifting Careers Blog

Today I ran across this really cool blog on career transitions. It has lots of great advice, including many posts on networking and informational interviews. The Shifting Careers Blog is run by the New York Times. They have unfortunately chosen not to continue it due to the current economic situation, but it is still on-line and remains a great resource.

USPTO Exam

So, I’m taking the patent bar exam in 6 days. Anyone with a degree in math, science, or engineering can take the patent bar….no JD required. If you pass, you are a registered patent agent, which means you can file patent applications with the USPTO. I’m hoping that becoming a patent agent will help me to get a job in an IP law firm. These firms often hire PhDs as technology specialists and then support them in passing the patent bar and in eventually going to law school, so that they can litigate as patent lawyers. A few years ago, technology specialist positions were easier to find. But now, like in every other industry except debt collection, no one is hiring. If I pass the patent bar exam, I’m hoping it will give me a leg up by showing law firms that I’m dedicated to this career path.

The exam is 6 hours long and consists of 100 multiple choice questions. It covers all the information in the Manual of Patent Examination and Procedures (MPEP), a 2,000 page long and very dense, government document covering all aspects of patent application filing and examination. An electronic copy of the MPEP is available during the exam, but with a little over 3 minutes for each question, you definitely don’t have time to look everything up.

I’ve been studying since last October, using the Patent Resources Group patent bar course. It consists of a 4 volume 4000 page text, 50 hours of DVD lectures, and exam software. It’s certainly been a lot of work trying to cram so much information into my not so big head. And now that I’m thinking about just how much information it is, I’m realizing that I really should get back to studying. Wish me luck!

Teaching Careers

One obvious alternative to a research career is teaching. I have been teaching laboratory courses at a local college for the last two years. This is really a lot of fun, doesn’t take up too much time, and is a great way to supplement my post-doc salary. I enjoy it so much, in fact, that I’ve considered applying for teaching positions at liberal arts colleges. But when I thought more about it, I realized this probably wasn’t for me. In these positions, you usually have to teach 3 and sometimes 4 full courses a semester. The definition of a course is different from school to school, so this could mean as much as 4 full lecture courses with labs. It’s a lot of work for me to get together the half hour lecture that I give at the beginning of lab. I can’t fathom preparing 12 hours of lecture a week. I certainly can’t imagine doing it well while also supervising undergraduate research in the lab.

It seems to me that this system if fundamentally broken. Everyone knows that it takes much much longer to prepare for a lecture you’ve never taught before than one that you taught last year. So what’s the reasoning in starting a junior faculty member out with 4 new courses, instead of letting them build up to the full course load over a few years? But if you can prepare lectures and grade papers at light speed, then this might be the career for you. Of course, landing one of these jobs isn’t easy. If you’re not one of the chosen few, or if you like teaching but don’t want the pressure-filled race for tenure, high school teaching might be a better option. Private schools will hire PhDs right out of graduate school. Often biology teachers have the option of continuing their research and teach college level courses. Public school teaching, on the other hand, requires licensure. Normally, this would mean getting a Masters of Education, but many states have routes to licensure for PhDs that don’t require going back to school. I love teaching, but I don’t think any of these options are for me. That doesn’t mean it’s not a great option. Many have found deeply rewarding careers going down these paths.

IP Licensing

I'm finding WEST (Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology) to be a valuable resource both for learning about potential career paths and for networking. Last month, they had a really interesting panel discussion on licensing new technology. The panelists included a technology transfer professional, a venture capitalist, a patent attorney, and the director of business development for a biotech. Each panelist talked about the licensing process from their perspective, giving me valuable insight into the role of intellectual property in each of their careers. If you're an IP buff like me, you might want to read more about it here.

Genetic Counseling

Is genetic counseling the career for you? It may be, if you love genetics and working with patients. Our understanding of genetic disorders is increasing, leading to the development of new genetic tests and the need for more genetic counselors. People visit a genetic counselor when they are considering genetic testing. There are many reasons to have genetic testing done. A patient may want to know if they have a genetic condition or predisposition, such as Huntington's disease or the breast cancer gene. A couple may want to know if they are carriers of a genetic disease that could be passed on to their children. These are just a couple of the life altering issues that genetic counselors help patients to address.

The role of the genetic counselor is two-fold. First, it is the responsibility of the counselor to educate the patient about the genetic disease and the genetic test, including the effect that the disease will have on their lives and the likelihood that the patient will test positive. This enables the patient to make an informed decision about genetic testing. Second, the counselor must support the patient emotionally both in making the decision to get tested and in learning the results, which can often be a very painful process. To be a genetic counselor, it is critical to be both a good educators, who can help patients understand complex subject matter, and a compassionate person, who can provide a shoulder to cry on.

Becoming a genetic counselor requires earning a masters degree from an accredited institution and passing a certification exam. Most masters programs are two years long and are only available on a full time basis, due to the clinical training component of the program.
A common complaint amongst genetic counselors is of a ceiling that is reached after only a few years, both in terms of salary and opportunity for career advancement. However, many genetic counselors find there career deeply rewarding. For more information about this exciting and rapidly evolving career field, visit the websites of the American Board of Genetic Counseling and the National Association of Genetic Counselors.

Welcome to my blog!

When I decided to go to graduate school, I expected to become an expert in genetics. What I didn't expect was to become so well versed in figuring out what I really want. At 22. I thought continuing on the path that I had laid out for myself, based on my families values and my talents, was the sensible and safe thing to do. It didn't occur to me that one day sensible and safe wouldn't be enough. For the past 9 years I have been trying to figure out what I want and how to get it. It's been a long road. Some things helped me get closer to the answers and some were mere distractions. I'm writing this blog because I know there are lots of you out there like me - maybe you're a few years into graduate school, or maybe you're just starting your postdoc. You're hit with the realization that you don't want to be doing bench science forever, but what else could you possibly do? I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help others find their answers sooner.