...become a Patent attorney. Now earns very good money in a fairly stable market segment
Interesting. I do a LOT of side work on patents and have developed a pretty good skill set at it. I also charge a lot less per hour than Patent Attorneys! 
My son, who is headed to university this fall for EE, is seriously considering getting his law degree afterwards specifically to go into Patent practice. You're absolutely correct, having a technical degree/background makes you very powerful in the Patent world.
It does seem an awfully long way to go about getting into an industry though. A PhD takes what, maybe 7-8 years, and then throw on another couple of years to train as a patent attorney. That's why they love PhD people, it looks impressive to their clients, and they rely on that probably the majority of PhD people had no intention of ever ending up in that career, but they were sort of forced into it due to lack of well paying jobs in the field.
It does seem an awfully long way to go about getting into an industry though. A PhD takes what, maybe 7-8 years, and then throw on another couple of years to train as a patent attorney.
I think it can be done in six years, if a BSEE is sufficient (rather than a full PhD). Four for the BS degree, then two more for the JD to become an attorney on top of it.
As a side note, my son mentioned his possible plans to an attorney recently and the latter described an internship program that nets you your law degree for zero tuition. Not sure of the details but this guy was very enthusiastic, "There's absolutely no reason to pay for law school. When you're serious about this, contact me." So if he ends up wanting to pursue this path he has some options. My guess is he'll get out of school, start working in electronics, and never look elsewhere!
I do volunteer work in electronics with local high school students. Unfortunately, those thinking about college often have a poor understanding of curriculum and career options. I always advise them to consider the math requirements as they make their choice. If they are good in math (they typically are because our local high schools provide outstanding math instruction), I strongly encourage them to consider engineering. Many of them think they want to study computer science -- because they are all familiar with computers. I encourage them to look at engineering curriculums related to computers. My objective is to have them look closely at engineering in general, get value from their math skills, and pick a curriculum near their area of interest. Once they get into the first year of engineering, they get a much better idea of what engineering is and they get a much better idea of the specific engineering path they want to take.
My own daughter, for example, thought she wanted to pursue computer science -- just like most of her peers. I knew she was good in math, so I suggested she give computer engineering a try for the first year. She could switch to computer science if she decided that engineering wasn't for her. So she started with the engineering curriculum. She did well in the math and science courses. In college she got a much better understanding of what engineering entails. She took a volunteer position on a biomedical research project and loved it, and, now finishing up her second year, has committed to a biomedical engineering curriculum. That's pretty far removed from computer science!
The point is that many students won't know what they should do until they try it. And, indeed, they should keep options open until they have a good understanding of what those options are. Also, the math demands of an engineering curriculum may frighten some students. But they need to understand the math may not be any more challenging than what they've been through in high school, just a continuation of the challenge for a couple more years.
All engineering curriculums provide a good set of tools for engineering disciplines. Different schools have different engineering options which focus those tools on different types of problems. It's hard to know the exact focus unless you look closely at the courses offered. It's great if a student can aim at an option which is close to their area of interest. But, they probably won't have a good understanding until they actually get well into the first year. They should keep their eyes and options open to find the best fit for them once they've gotten into college, discussed it with advisors and other students, and have a better understanding of what it's all about. In the long run, the better the fit for their personal interests, the more they will enjoy and succeed with the curriculum and career.
I do volunteer work in electronics with local high school students... they probably won't have a good understanding until they actually get well into the first year.
Best post in this thread, and THANK YOU for the time and effort you contribute to the kids in your area!