Unlike routine assembly work, this requires technicians to draw on their knowledge of fundamental principles to make independent decisions and judgments. After the laser has been assembled, technicians check it by comparing test results to design specifications. If any defects are found, technicians must locate the trouble and correct it before the laser can be sold. Most laser manufacturers also employ Laser Technicians as field service representatives to install lasers at customer sites, make final adjustments and demonstrate their use. Field service technicians are also called in, when necessary, to service and repair the equipment.
Injuries are rare because of strict safety precautions and appropriate safety equipment.
The number of Laser Technicians in California should increase about as fast as the average occupation through 2005. The following information is from the California Projections of Employment published by the Labor Market Information Division. The figures represent the broad occupational group entitled All Other Engineering and Related Technicians and Technologists that includes Laser Technicians. Laser Technicians are among the skilled workers who find opportunities in today's fast growing field of telecommunications. Telecommunications systems link telephones, but they also involve such equipment as computers, lasers, fax machines, modems, and mobile radio telephone transmitters and receivers.