Optical instrument repairer to optomechanical engineering technician
An optical instrument repairer already meets 31% of what the optomechanical engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.1/ 100
1 How much of what an optomechanical engineering technician is expected to do is already part of an optical instrument repairer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the optomechanical engineering technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An optomechanical engineering technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things an optical instrument repairer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- optical engineering
- optical equipment standards
- optical glass characteristics
- optics
- optomechanical devices
- read engineering drawings
What stands in the way is 20 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An optomechanical engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an optical instrument repairer background worth leading with.
- already held optomechanical devices engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held repair optical equipment handling and moving
- already held optical equipment standards services
- already held refractive power natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held maintain optical equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held test optical components information skills
All 16 carried skills, including the 9 the optomechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn optical manufacturing process required
- still to learn optomechanical components required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn optomechanical engineering required
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn assist scientific research required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn prepare production prototypes required
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
- still to learn define part requirements required
- still to learn conduct quality control analysis required
- still to learn inspect quality of products required
- still to learn record test data required
- optional, not held inspect optical supplies optional
- optional, not held monitor machine operations optional
- still to learn assemble optomechanical equipment required
- still to learn clean optical components required
- still to learn align components required
- still to learn fasten components required
- optional, not held calibrate optical instruments optional
- still to learn operate scientific measuring equipment required
- optional, not held operate industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
- still to learn apply optical coating required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an optomechanical engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assemble optomechanical equipment practise this
- 02 apply optical coating practise this
- 03 clean optical components practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held optical engineering knowledge
- already held optical equipment standards knowledge
- already held optical glass characteristics knowledge
- already held optics knowledge
- already held optomechanical devices knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held refractive power knowledge
- already held test optical components skill
- already held types of optical instruments knowledge
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held maintain optical equipment skill
- already held microoptics knowledge
- already held operate optical assembly equipment skill
- already held repair optical equipment skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held use precision tools skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn optical components required
- optional, not held cavity optomechanics optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held electromagnetic spectrum optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held cavity optomechanics optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held inspect optical supplies optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held calibrate optical instruments optional
- optional, not held electromagnetic spectrum optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held monitor machine operations optional
- optional, not held operate industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held operate precision machinery optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
23 held skills the optomechanical engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
- not needed by the target role colour glass skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role cut glass skill
- not needed by the target role cut lenses for eyeglasses skill
- not needed by the target role ensure conformity to specifications skill
- not needed by the target role glass tempering knowledge
- not needed by the target role manipulate glass skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role operate automated optical inspection machine skill
- not needed by the target role operate optical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate optical measuring equipment skill
- not needed by the target role optoelectronic devices knowledge
- not needed by the target role order optical supplies skill
- not needed by the target role perform minor repairs to equipment skill
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role remove defective products skill
- not needed by the target role replace defect components skill
- not needed by the target role smooth glass surface skill
- not needed by the target role use tools for construction and repair skill
- not needed by the target role verify lenses compliance skill
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn optical manufacturing process required
- still to learn optomechanical components required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn optical components required
- still to learn optomechanical engineering required
- optional, not held cavity optomechanics optional
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held continuum mechanics optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held electromagnetic spectrum optional
Common questions about this move
Can an optical instrument repairer become an optomechanical engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An optical instrument repairer already covers 31% of what an optomechanical engineering technician is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 9 of which the optomechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does an optical instrument repairer need to become an optomechanical engineering technician?
20 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is assemble optomechanical equipment.
How hard is the move from optical instrument repairer to optomechanical engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 74.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.