Alumni Spotlight: Krista Jacobsen
Krista S. Jacobsen, Ph.D., is an engineer-turned-attorney who earned her B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Denver and her Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford. She began her career as an engineer working in digital communications before moving into patent law, first as a patent agent and then as an attorney at Covington & Burling. In 2014, she founded Jacobsen IP Law, where she focuses on patent prosecution, counseling, expert witness services, and litigation support. Dr. Jacobsen also shares her expertise by co-teaching law practice management and expert witness classes at Santa Clara University School of Law.
1. What originally drew you to engineering, and how did you choose your specific discipline?
When I started at DU, I had no idea what I wanted to do for a career. (And frankly, I’m still not sure, so if you’re feeling lost, you’re not alone!) My mom gave me great advice: take the required core classes and one class each quarter just because it sounds fun. That’s why I enrolled in Acting I during my freshman year. I loved it, but I knew I needed a stable career, so theater stayed a hobby. Sophomore year, a “fun” class called Applied Climatology changed everything. I fell in love with it and declared a double major in physics and geography. Then came the dreaded electronics requirement. I fought it, lost, and reluctantly took Electric Circuits I. To my surprise, I understood it, and I was pretty good at it. Al Rosa, my professor, took notice and spent the next several months convincing me to switch to engineering. I resisted because it meant adding a year to my degree. But he was relentless, and his arguments about job security hit home. Eventually, I made the switch. I chose electrical over mechanical because I liked the classes more, especially signal processing and digital communications. Did I become an engineer because someone pushed me? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not for a second.
2. How did your degree prepare you for your career?
Having a BSEE from DU led to me being admitted to Stanford, where I was able to earn MS and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering. Those degrees, and the people I met while at Stanford, led to my working at a startup company that pioneered digital subscriber line (DSL) technology. That experience eventually led to my current career as a patent attorney. Only people with technical degrees can become patent attorneys, so I would not have the job I have now, or the life I have now, had I not earned a BSEE.
3. What’s the most unexpected turn your career has taken since graduation?
Going to law school after 10 years of working as an engineer would probably be considered an unexpected turn!
4. If you could give one piece of advice to current students, what would it be?
I would give students the same advice that my mom gave me: If you don’t know what you want to be when you grow up, take classes that will serve you well for every major (“core” classes), and also take one class per quarter that sounds fun or interesting. You never know what you might discover or where it might lead.
"Did I become an engineer because someone pushed me? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not for a second."
- Krista Jacobsen
