Laser and optical technology programs prepare people to help engineers who work with lasers. Students learn to design and operate laser systems. They also learn to make and test optical fibers.

Lasers used to be the stuff of science fiction - ray guns that the heroes used to zap the attacking aliens. Nowadays you use a laser every time you play a CD or have your groceries scanned at the checkout. Lasers transmit your long-distance phone calls and Internet chats over fiber-optic cables. Doctors use lasers for bloodless surgery. Clothing manufacturers use them to cut intricate patterns in fabric. Scientists are now working on computer chips that will use laser-generated light instead of electricity.

As a laser technician, you can play a part in the research and development that leads to new laser devices. You can work with engineers as they test new materials and processes. You may gather data from an experiment. You may help construct a prototype of a new device. You may fine-tune a process for manufacturing a CD player or some other device that uses a laser.

You acquire many of your skills in two years of full-time study beyond high school. Such a program, leading to an associate degree, is offered at about 30 colleges. Like other engineering technology programs, it begins with a healthy serving of science and math. You need to study the physics of light and other forms of energy to understand how lasers work. You learn about the laws that determine how light behaves as it passes through various materials. You also study electric circuits and digital circuits such as those found on computer chips. Then you learn how lasers are used in various devices, including fiber-optic cables.