Immigration & IP Lawyer Says to Go For It

Name: Melih Okan (he/him)

PhD: Physics, MIT, 2018

What was your main area of research?

I studied experimental atomic physics. My PhD thesis was on building a quantum gas microscope for fermionic K-40 atoms in ultracold temperatures (nano kelvins). Our goal was to have a natural simulation tool to understand quantum behavior of strongly interacting fermions, which is key to understand strongly correlated electronic systems encountered in exotic materials like high-temperature superconductors.

What is your current job?

I am a Business Immigration & Intellectual Property Lawyer at a law office in Boston, Massachusetts.

I am managing the business and talent-based immigration department of a small law firm in the Boston area.

The best part is making a real and positive impact in people's lives. Getting to know very talented and inspiring people and telling their stories to the U.S. government to prove that they have extraordinary abilities and the U.S. should grant them permanent residency or talent-based visas.

I hope to be remembered by as many people as possible as someone who helped them when they really needed it.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

It was a long journey.

It started with getting hired by a big law firm right after completing my PhD as technical advisor to help them in patent-related lawsuits. Yes - -there is such a path for PhDs who want to switch to law. I then went to law school (sponsored by the firm) while working for the firm. After finishing law school and obtaining my license to practice law (the whole journey took almost 6 years after finishing my PhD), I decided to shift my practice to immigration law and eventually have my own business.

I met with my current partner, a seasoned immigration lawyer, during a networking event. He wanted to expand, and I wanted to learn how to manage small teams in the field of immigration. So I started with him.

PhD graduate ➡️ Technical Advisor at a big law firm ➡️ IP attorney in the same firm ➡️ Immigration and IP attorney in my current small firm

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

I was pretty sure that I did not want to stay in academia around the midpoint of my PhD; that part was easy. The hard part was to figure out what else I can and want to do.

At the time, I felt that staying in academia was not a good fit for me; I did not think I was built for it. I got interested in science in my earlier years because I was fascinated by the scientific discoveries at a larger scale, and I am still fascinated by them, and I read and think about them. Choosing to be a life-time researcher on a single subject in the current academic environment is a completely different thing; it is a lifestyle choice, and I realized it was not for me.

It was certainly a struggle to come to that realization, internalize it, and then act on it.

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

Life is short; it really is. So if you have a dream, just go for it.

If you are doing a PhD, you are more capable than most people. Even if you fail, you will learn from it and move on stronger; and you will have many other opportunities leveraging your degree.
Doing a PhD puts you in a bubble. If you are happy in it, then you are good. But if you are not happy, then you should explore the world outside it and experience it first hand; that is the only way to find a path outside academia. The best way to do it is to reach out and talk to people, explore extracurricular activities, volunteer etc.
Having a high IQ comes with its blessings and curses. Be aware of both. The biggest curse in my opinion is being an over-analyzer and perfectionist, which can be paralyzing and make many smart people too afraid to take control of their lives. Hence the world we live in: governed by the incompetent but overconfident employing the cowardly smart.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

I came to the U.S. as an immigrant without any family members or relatives here. During my PhD years, my struggle to find a fitting career path was intertwined with a larger scale identity crisis as an immigrant trying to find a place in a vastly different culture and as a young person trying to find meaning in life in general. I later realized that many people go through similar struggles in their mid 20s regardless of their background; so know that you are not alone.