Families / Investigate

Patent Agent

Drafts and prosecutes patent applications for technical inventions. A science degree plus one exam opens the door.

Pay band (est.)
$105k–$185k
Time to competence
6 years
Licence
Required
Setting
desk
Leverage
medium
Place constraint
low
Physical demand
8/100
Hours burden
62/100

Factor percentiles

Percentile against the whole curated set. Higher is better on that factor only.

  • Play19th

    Absorbing rather than merely paid.

  • Specific knowledge73th

    A combination of skills that is hard to copy.

  • Leverage49th

    Output that scales through code, media, capital or crew.

  • Demand48th

    Durability and shortage, scored conservatively.

  • Pay86th

    Mid-career floor and the range above it.

  • Body85th

    Inverse of physical demand and hours.

  • Autonomy76th

    Control of methods and time.

  • People fit77th

    Distance from your preferred people level.

  • Place flexibility91th

    Remote fit and freedom from specific metros.

  • Time to skill44th

    Inverse of years to competence.

  • Meaning load17th

    Care, craft and stewardship weight. Not a moral score.

  • Downside tolerance93th

    Inverse of named risk to body, market or platform.

Downside

Deadline-driven; volume depends on client R&D budgets.

Examine this against your weights

The percentiles above use the default weights. Set your own on the ranking and this vocation moves with them.

Source note: Industry survey patterns; editorial estimate. All figures are estimates for comparison.