Blogging Debut...In the beginning, there was an apprentice.

This is my blogging debut. I must admit, I have been holding out for few weeks because I wanted to get it right.  Then I asked myself, “Who is going to visit “What’s An Optician.com” and read the blog if there isn’t a blog to read?  So here I am.  I will take you on a brief journey of how I started in this profession.

I was blessed and fortunate to have had a 12 grade Cooperative Work Experience teacher, Avis Thielman.  I considered becoming a travel agent (that’s another story) until Avis pulled a soon to graduate high school student aside and handed over an index card. I have saved so many notes and cards over the years that have meaning to me but for some reason, I never saved the index card (otherwise I would post a picture of it for you to see). 

It was May 1985 and it read: 

For the high school student that is not going away to college (me) and would like to become an apprentice optician. In 4 years you can make $25,000. Please call Mark at Your Eyes, Broad Street, Meriden, CT.

Now let me tell you, that was a LOT of money to an 18 year old.  I remember telling my parents about this great opportunity and thinking to myself, “How many people in a day are going to need to get eye glasses?”  That was a concern as I did not want to have a job that I would be sitting around waiting for patients to come in for eyeglasses. I wanted a dynamic job that kept me busy and interested.  A plus for me was that I could still attend community college part-time in the evenings.  (I have been a commuter PT college student my entire life…and its been OK)

I applied and got the job (thank you Mark Sanderson) at Your Eyes.  It was the beginning of a career that I love so much and want to share it with the world (literally).

You can apprentice under a licensed optician or receive formal education supported by employment and a strong internship experience. 

Opticianry offers such a variety:

healthcare
fashion
science
laboratory work
sales
hands-on
customer service
making eyeglasses
fitting and dispensing contact lenses
management
business owner
sales representatives
the list can go on…

The Opticians Association of America (OAA) defines an optician as:

An Optician is a vision expert; a health professional specially trained to supply, prepare, and dispense optical appliances through interpretation of written prescriptions. An Optician is an integral part of the vision care experience that adheres to exacting standards in order to enhance your vision.

Well, this is it for now. 

Please contact me with any feedback, questions on the “contact” page, or comment below. And please let me know if you want to be a guest blogger.  I think that would be a fun addition to our website.