by James » Mon Aug 29, 2005 1:06 pm
Hi John,
I spent three years in the TT office of a very prestigious institution and was ultimately recruited by Big Pharma to work in their licensing department. I have an MS/MBA and started a JD while working at the TT office. I can honestly say that I loved that job.
However, it was not easy to obtain. I spent 4 years preparing for the position. This included transferring from the bench to project management in a biotech company. After that I went to the USPTO and worked as a patent examiner for 2 years and concurrently attended various TT training courses. It was at one of those courses where I made contact with the Director of the institute that ultimately hired me. He also was an MS/MBA.
I do not think any one background or degree prepares you for TT. There were several Ph.D.s, JDs and MBAs in my office. They came from industry, law firms, academic labs and even other TT offices. I do think everyone had some sort of advanced degree, though. However, the Ph.D. was by no means a 'rite of passage.' It is kind of a renaissance position. You will need excellent people and communication skills. After all, everyone you encounter is a client.
Good Luck!!
James