[求助]生化phD毕业后想转JD?新手求教！

我现在phD即将进入第五年，渐渐看到毕业的苗头了，关于出路还在迷茫。

最近刚接触Intellectual Property一些基础概念，最兴奋的是听说JD第一年起薪$140，500，加上bonus 50，000，一年接近200，000。嗬嗬，我就看到眼前绿花花的钞票在飞舞阿。就开始到处收集有关信息。

来到这个版后，我看了一些帖子，似乎身在其中的一些人觉得还是很苦的一件事情，尤其是女孩子。所以想列出自己的想法向各位前辈求教。谢谢大家。感觉这个版还是很有帮助的。

我自己的情况是，实验进展还算幸运，估计1到2年可以光荣毕业。虽然是女生，不过我还是希望有自己独立的比较有前途的career,如果目的明确，我还是很努力的，比如以前准备GRE的时候。结婚不久，作为同学的老公对我干什么都很支持，暂时不打算要孩子，起码在没有自己的career之前不想要。

我现在也在斟酌中。我有这样几条路可以选择。

我可以继续走postdoc,faculty这条路，因为周围都是这样的role model,不过这些年funding极其紧张，竞争非常激烈，而且做science大部分时间在黑暗里摸索，没有好的data, 苦闷大大多于兴奋。By the way,postdoc起薪3万六左右，非常廉价的劳动力，做得很不错找到faculty,起薪8，9万。从钱来说，不具有竞争力，也许就是一种探索的满足感，只是挫败感更强。

或者Industry继续作bench work,但是我还是不太清楚这样向上爬的空间多大，而且学术界对工业界诸多微词，对我也小有影响。

或者申请和自己有点相关的Medical or pharmacy school,前者四年读书，3-6年residency,熬到头了视科室不同年薪数十万不等，觉得周期偏长，很可能还要绿卡（比如我们学校），后者也是四年，出来起薪10万，就是觉得工作可能很boring,anyway,我也不知道做什么，只是同lab美国学生的猜想。

至于读JD,是最近冒出来的想法。也可以直接去做patent agent or consultant,不过我想在一个领域，总是取法其上吧。最近听到可能都是正面的讲法，所以比较激动吧。所以如果就我的case有任何建议，尤其是不利因素，也欢迎大家指出。

我想知道的是，我想一边做早九晚五的postdoc（得有个nice的老板或者去industry吧,一边晚上去上四年制part-time的课，这样老公的经济负担可轻一点，晚上回家后还可以学习，这样现实么？我知道课前要做大量的阅读。

如果拿到JD,想做Intellectual Property有关的事情，一般的工作性质如何呢？作为non native speaker,我知道上庭辩论不会有优势。Career path又是怎样呢？我希望还是有升职的可能，往哪里升呢？我不是很有野心，只是有一定的上进心而已。

先谢谢过来人的指点了！！！

做intellectual property薪水是比较高，不过如果能拿到年薪14万或者15万, 这样的工作压力很大，得给人做牛做马,是否愿意过这样的生活，纯属于个人选择;工作的同时读PART-TIME, 出于经济方面的考虑还是比较可行的，但如果你的POST-DOC 的工作压力很大的话，能否同时应付工作和学习就不好说了;至于职业前景,在律所，所谓的升职就是从ASSOCIATE做到PARTNER,这是很难的

至于资金，上网就能查到学校的学费, 如果没有奖学金，数字还是比较惊人的，但如果可以贷款，倒也不是大问题

I would suggest you finishing off your PHD first and then apply for either Stanford or Berkeley. You can also apply UC Hastings and Santa Clara in case the top 10 is too much for you.

The biggest challenge is not money, you have built your credit history and both Stanford and Berkeley has special loan programs for International students. The biggest problem you will face is your english skills. But if it does not kill you in law school, it will definitly make you better.

by the way, the IP lawyers for non-NY BIGLAW firm in California got paid 135K a year plus signing bonus. However, you usually won't get 50K bonus at the end of first year (there are always exceptions). If you work for NY firm in California, the salary is 140K which matches NY salary.

the working hour usually requires 60 hours a week. If you do litigation and have to appear in the court, you may have a few weeks doing 40 hours a week, but that is rare. you may have to work 100 hours a week sometimes and it is not a typo.

That is why, law is still a good place for women, but BIGLAW highly paid jobs are not.

谢谢楼上二位的回复。

如果去做postdoc,60-70 hours a week is very normal for anyone who don't wanna stay a thousand-year postdoc. 100 hours a week,有点surprising,但是这就是付出吧。我好奇的是如果做IP,一般中国人做什么性质的工作，大部分是paperwork么？我不觉得作为一个non-native speaker的口语能够做litigation。

我从高一参加生物竞赛算起，学了12年的生物，是否转行，是个tough question.我理想的工作是hard work will pay off， 但是辛辛苦苦的实验做下来往往在积累失败的经验，总是很depressed,虽然我也有为了理想的结果excited的时候，但那往往只是黑暗中乍现的一丝亮光。

所以目前看来，我觉得去读law school, 然后出来做IP,还是没有抛弃我学了那么多年的老本行，但是不用再做bench work,而且希望是付出有回报的career.

我会先拿到phD学位，同时我准备LSAT。我本科期间的GPA3.8,3.9左右，不过不是最知名的学校。在美国graduate school期间的GPA还可以吧.除了lsat努力以为，我还需要做些什么来提高我的申请top school的几率呢? 比如做做patent,licence有关的volunteer,or intern?

如果我不能拿到top 6，hehe,我也许就去做post-doc了。如果成功，我会上full time,生活先艰苦一点，我们的credit history贷款应该不成问题。

要通过Patent Bar和拿到Patent agent license不需要JD学位吗？为什么说可以save your law school tuition？能把具体程序介绍一下吗？thanks！

我在General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases before the United States Patent and Trademark Office里头看到这段话

E. ELIGIBILITY OF ALIENS: Applicants who are not United States citizens and do not reside in the
U.S. are not eligible for registration except as permitted by 37 CFR § 11.6(c). Presently, the
Canadian Patent Office is the only Patent Office recognized as allowing substantially reciprocal
privileges to those admitted to practice before the USPTO. The registration examination is not
administered to aliens who do not reside in the United States.
Aliens residing in the United States may apply to take the registration examination. To be
admitted to the examination, an applicant must establish that recognition is consistent with the
capacity of employment authorized by the Unites States Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) (formerly U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS")). The evidence must
include a copy of both sides of any work or training authorization and copies of all documents
submitted to and received from the USCIS regarding admission to the United States and a copy of
any documentation submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor. Qualifying non-immigrant aliens
within the scope of 8 CFR § 274a.12(b) or (c) are not registered upon passing the examination.
Such applicants will be given limited recognition under 37 CFR § 11.9(b) if recognition is
consistent with the capacity of employment or training authorized by the USCIS. Documentation
establishing an applicant’s qualification to receive limited recognition must be submitted with the
applicant's application.
Qualifying documentation shows that the USCIS has authorized the applicant to be employed or
trained in the capacity of representing patent applicants before the USPTO by preparing and
prosecuting their patent applications. Any USCIS approval pending at that time will result in the
applicant's application being denied admission to the examination.

红色那部分什么意思？必须要在美国有工作经历才行吗？PhD毕业直接去申请不可以的吗？

I think it means that green card is a requirement.