Is there a job out there for inventors?

I believe that inventing might fall under product development in the corporate world.

I doubt that there's a job for general inventors. You'd probably have to specialize in a particular kind of inventions and go from there.

It might also be possible to find financial backing for inventions with promise. Sorry, but I don't know how you would go about that. I can guess that you'd have to find people who are willing to give money to this particular kind of speculation and make a formal presentation of your idea. Highly risky. Also I'm not sure about ownership rights under these circumstances.

If you invent something while you're working for a corporation, you don't get ownership there.

You should invent a Chinese ninja star that shoots laser beams. That would get me so pumped up, but don't tell my mom.

(either that, or invent a floor wax that's also a desert topping...)

Re: Is there a job out there for inventors?


The job you're looking for is usually going to be called either designer, developer or engineer. It depends on your skill set and what you're inventing.

In general, companies are going to want your creative energies to be at least a little bit channeled, e. g. if you work for a toy company, they want you inventing toys, not new types of brake linings or whatever.

My father is an inventor with several patents but he is also an engineer. Hence his focus has always been electrical engineering and electronics design. He has been inventing since I was a kid and probably earlier (and I'm in my mid-40s so that should give you an idea of how long he made this a career for himself; he's retired now). For him, the best jobs have been in places that were like think tanks or at least that he could make to be like think tanks. I don't think he went to too many meetings in his career. He was more likely to be found either working in the lab with someone (and, as he got older, mentoring the younger crowd) or just sitting in his office, thinking.

If you do not have formal training, I suggest at least a little training in mechanics, simply to see how things work -- and why they don't. It will also get you to be taken more seriously in the corporate world and that can't hurt.

As for who owns the patents, Dad only owns one or two of them because he got them after he retired and he was technically no longer working for a company. But the others were all purchased by the various companies he worked for. The sum? Believe it or not, one dollar apiece. But that's how it works -- you're paid quite well for your inventions, and also for a lot of sitting around and thinking -- but in your salary, not in direct patent payment. If you work independently, you can be paid directly for your inventions, but you'd need to develop and market them. Going with a company means that they take care of all that as included in your working arrangement with them.

One thing to be aware of, though, is that a lot of companies that hire inventors want you to sign a covenant not to compete. This is to assure that they have your exclusive services and that you don't go jump ship and work for a competitor until, say, a year after you leave, if you leave them voluntarily. These covenants are legal but they have to be limited, usually by time or geography or both so, if you worked in Houston and signed a covenant, and then got a job in Philadelphia, the covenant might or might not reach there. You'd have to check, preferably with an employment attorney.

Inventing is exciting and I wish you good luck. I hope some day that one of the walls of your house is as full of patent certifications as one of the walls in my folks' house is. Welcome to A2K.

Hello Matt,
I know what you mean. My mind is filled with new ideas all the time. It usually comes up in my mind like: "I can't believe no one has thought of this" and is usually a new idea to make something work easier. My dad was always coming up with ideas, and one time looked for investors for one of them. He was in the Air Force at the time. He tried to get help from people to come up with funding to make something that would heat up shaving cream. Unfortunately, he didn't know much about patents, etc., and somebody that knew he was looking for this funding thought it was a great idea. Don't know if you ever heard of the Schick Hot Later Machine, but that is where it went. So if you have a great idea, don't broadcast it without great documentation first. Inventing would be my dream job. Since that is always on my mind, I think that is what GOD had intended for me to do with my life, but I never followed my dreams! I just fell into the trap of getting into debts and having to work just to pay them!

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND DO WHAT IT TAKES TO PREVAIL!!!
---YOU CAN DO IT MATHEW---

TAKE CARE & GOD BLESS,
TONY Z. MIDLAND MI

Now I know Imma sound crazy and stupid, but I think I have an high theory, on to making laser wepons, flying cars, hover tanks and maybe robots living like humans beings now I have blueprints on the laser wepons and a maybe a theory on robots and a clue on making hover tanks and flying cars. But I'm trying to look for a team or a company that will hire me/help me out this. so If anyone can help me out, i would be super happy thank you for your time and have a nice day. p.s i know i sound crazy but if my theorys are corrected than the future is coming to the present.

Contact your local engineering school and talk to one of the professors of nuclear engineering.