Testimonial
One of the questions that I am asked often when I introduce myself is, why and how did I choose a career in Intellectual Property (IP). Perhaps the origins of my interest in IP lie in my interests in new inventions. While at college, I noticed that while my skills in my subject of specialization (Pharmacy) were about average in class, my other skills such as written and oral communication, debating, making presentations, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills etc were substantially better than average. Also, I found that IP is a highly respected and economically viable profession, as compared to engineering and science, pharmacy or sales. All this made me think seriously about a career in IP. I thought that Intellectual Property was the only one in which a degree in science or technology would be a major advantage, and not just an additional paper qualification. Typical choices that were available to me on graduation included further studies in the same subject (M.Pharma.), a job through campus placements (usually in manufacturing), and further studies in management (by appearing for entrance exams). I chose to opt for management. Based on a recommendation from my guide who I worked with on my Master’s thesis (Post 2005 Marketing Strategies for Indian Pharmaceutical Industry), I underwent a training program in basics of IPR. From there I developed interest in IP and decided to pursue a career in IP. And for starting my career in IP I needed a professional training in the domain of IP. So I joined GIIP. There are some fields that require analytical skills, not much specialized knowledge, and minimal training (e.g., software and KPO). Fresh graduates from reputed institutions can easily find high paying jobs in such fields and continue to grow further (just based on their analytical skills or on newly acquired management skills) without investing in acquiring specialized knowledge, however IP is not one of those fields. Without specialized knowledge, one can get a job (even a high paying one) related to IP, but not sustain a career, as the lack of specialized knowledge leads to stagnation in the (initially) high-paying job. The PG Diploma in International Patents and Intellectual Property Services offered me various skills. Some of the requirements to build a sustainable career in IP (particularly patents) include:
- * The ability to grasp new technologies and applications quickly
- * Excellent written communication skills
- * Ability to understand laws, read bare acts and rules and apply them in practical situations
- * Interpretation of techno-legal documents
- * Thinking and reasoning like a lawyer (which is different from thinking like a scientist or engineer)
- * Analytical skills (particularly in patent analytics)
- * Reading comprehension (including ability to discriminate between relevant and irrelevant)
- * Attention to detail
- * Training by an experienced IP professional
- * Practical experience to realize and internalize the trainingAmong these requirements, the ones that can make the maximum amount of difference to an IP career are 9 & 10, namely training by an experienced IP professional (Internship) and practical experience to realize and internalize the training(Final Placement). GIIP helped me to further enhance 1 to 8. Also GIIP helped me in 9. I am confident that GIIP will help me in 10 as well. The difficult part is getting that one year experience in that first job with a reputed firm without any relevant job experience.
Thus GIIP helped me a lot in kick starting my career in IP.
ASHISH JOGI (MBA (Mktg. & HR) and B. Pharma)
