How To Become A Laser Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a laser technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

If you are curious to learn how to operate, test, and repair a laser, you may look into working as a scientific technician specializing in laser technology.

As a laser/electro-optics technician (LEOT), you'll operate and maintain systems that utilize lasers, as well as using the lasers themselves. You'll also be responsible for testing new technology and working on experimental projects designed to enhance and improve the technology. Many laser technicians specialize in laser production, field service, or another area of concentration.

If you work in laser production, you'll use design engineers' designs to align and clean optical elements according to specifications. You'll also inspect all system components that affect the laser beam before testing.

ScoreLaser TechnicianUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,370

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.6

Growth rate 17%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 7.47%

Black or African American 9.50%

Hispanic or Latino 16.76%

Unknown 4.88%

White 60.70%

Gender

female 52.19%

male 47.81%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.6

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a laser technician

Explore laser technician education requirements

Most common laser technician degrees

Associate

34.5 %

Bachelor's

31.3 %

High School Diploma

12.3 %

Start to develop specific laser technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	19.39%
Customer Service	14.67%
Laser Equipment	7.81%
Laser Safety	7.08%
Laser Hair Removal	5.83%

Complete relevant laser technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New laser technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a laser technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real laser technician resumes.

Gain additional laser technician certifications

Laser technician certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific laser technician certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for laser technicians include Certified Laser Professional (C.L.P.) And Certified Laser Hair Removal Specialist (CLO/A).

More About Certifications

Research laser technician duties and responsibilities

Maintain coating quality using adhesion testing and spectrophotometers, and manage coating hues and reflectance adjustments.
Build solid-state, diode end pump lasers using YAG, YLF, and YVO4 nonlinear crystals.
Operate a CNC laser welding machine which make metallic honeycomb core from sheets of aluminum, steel, and titanium.
Assist physician during dermal fillers and Botox.

Prepare your laser technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your laser technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a laser technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable laser technician resume templates

Build a professional laser technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your laser technician resume.