Laser technician vs photonics technician

The differences between laser technicians and photonics technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a laser technician and a photonics technician. Additionally, a photonics technician has an average salary of $54,562, which is higher than the $37,370 average annual salary of a laser technician.

Laser technician vs photonics technician overview

	Laser Technician	Photonics Technician
Yearly salary	$37,370	$54,562
Hourly rate	$17.97	$26.23
Growth rate	17%	2%
Number of jobs	24,920	9,424
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 68%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	2	2

Laser technician vs photonics technician salary

Laser technicians and photonics technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Laser Technician	Photonics Technician
Average salary	$37,370	$54,562
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $46,000	Between $36,000 And $82,000
Highest paying City	West Fargo, ND	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between laser technician and photonics technician education

There are a few differences between a laser technician and a photonics technician in terms of educational background:

	Laser Technician	Photonics Technician
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 35%	Associate Degree, 68%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Northeastern University

Laser technician vs photonics technician demographics

Here are the differences between laser technicians' and photonics technicians' demographics:

	Laser Technician	Photonics Technician
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 47.8% Female, 52.2%	Male, 94.6% Female, 5.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between laser technician and photonics technician duties and responsibilities

Laser technician example 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.
Specialize training on Candela laser such as GentleLase and GentleYag.
Design, assemble, and test laser modules using SolidWorks.

Photonics technician example responsibilities.

Assemble and test fiber optic modulators.
Inspect and repair modulators, wire installations and circuits.
Test optical transponders .with bert unit, OSA, DCA, and power meter.
Test electro-mechanical subsystems for circuit integrity and operational reliability.
Handle Tx Dc testing FMA analysis and closure of many cases
Operate metalworking machines to fabricate housings, jigs, fittings, and fixtures.

Laser technician vs photonics technician skills

Common laser technician skills

Patients, 19%
Customer Service, 15%
Laser Equipment, 8%
Laser Safety, 7%
Laser Hair Removal, 6%
Surgical Procedures, 5%

Common photonics technician skills

Laser Technician vs. similar jobs

Laser Technician related careers

Laser Technician related jobs

What similar roles do

Technician responsibilities

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Laser Technician vs Photonics Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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