Also called: USPTO Patent Examiner
Federal engineer who decides whether an invention is new enough to deserve a patent.
You read a patent application for a new phone battery, search old patents and research papers, and decide if it's really new. Then you write up your decision and talk with the inventor's patent agent about changes.
Federal pay scale; many examiners work fully remote.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in engineering or science; USPTO trains you.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Chemistry.
Growing about average.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI prior-art search and drafting tools raise each examiner's output, so fewer new hires; final judgment stays a human federal call.
Classes: English composition, AP Physics, AP Chemistry, Government or civics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 23-2099.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.