Any resident patent examiners care to comment on how the pre-2010 production system was internally gamed? Current system?<p>USPTO looks to be openly recruiting patent examiners[1] from the following engineering disciplines: electrical, computer, mechanical, biomedical, industrial. Locations constrained to Alexandria, San Jose, and Denver...all high cost-of-living cities. No listings for Dallas or Detroit.<p>Which brings up one pay scale[2] regardless of locality. Even if GS-0576-13 is non-competitive promotion potential, compensation strikes me as busted, especially for San Jose.<p>[1] <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/?hp=public&k=Patent%20Examiner&p=1" rel="nofollow">https://www.usajobs.gov/Search/?hp=public&k=Patent%20Examine...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/2017/Table057601012017.aspx" rel="nofollow">https://apps.opm.gov/SpecialRates/2017/Table057601012017.asp...</a>