| Important Core Job Duties (in order of importance) For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 97 (%) | Description: Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines. |
| Importance: 96 (%) | Description: Examine prescriptions, work orders, or broken or used eyeglasses to determine specifications for lenses, contact lenses, or other optical elements. |
| Importance: 94 (%) | Description: Clean finished lenses and eyeglasses, using cloths and solvents. |
| Importance: 93 (%) | Description: Mount, secure, and align finished lenses in frames or optical assemblies, using precision hand tools. |
| Importance: 92 (%) | Description: Shape lenses appropriately so that they can be inserted into frames. |
| Importance: 92 (%) | Description: Inspect lens blanks to detect flaws, verify smoothness of surface, and ensure thickness of coating on lenses. |
| Importance: 90 (%) | Description: Adjust lenses and frames to correct alignment. |
| Importance: 89 (%) | Description: Assemble eyeglass frames and attach shields, nose pads, and temple pieces, using pliers, screwdrivers, and drills. |
| Importance: 89 (%) | Description: Set up machines to polish, bevel, edge, or grind lenses, flats, blanks, or other precision optical elements. |
| Importance: 83 (%) | Description: Select lens blanks, molds, tools, and polishing or grinding wheels, according to production specifications. |
| Importance: 82 (%) | Description: Inspect, weigh, and measure mounted or unmounted lenses after completion to verify alignment and conformance to specifications, using precision instruments. |
| Importance: 81 (%) | Description: Set dials and start machines to polish lenses or hold lenses against rotating wheels to polish them manually. |
| Importance: 75 (%) | Description: Position and adjust cutting tools to specified curvature, dimensions, and depth of cut. |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Repair broken parts, using precision hand tools and soldering irons. |
Associate Degree Entry Level Careers and Jobs
Explore Careers and Jobs Predominantly Filled by Those with an Associate's Degree or Less, having 1 year or less of work experience - All On One Page
Sorted by median annual U.S. salary, including % with Associate's Degree (or less), and % with 1 year experience (or less).
These entry-level roles are open to associate's degree graduates and offer a practical starting point for building experience and advancing. For recent graduates or career changers seeking their first role with a two-year degree. Compare starting salaries and degree-holder percentages, then access preparation resources built for new graduates.
Here is a short Helper Video
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This page will take you through 4 steps, relative to an Associate's Degree, to (1) Select an entry-level career, (2) Find active job listings, (3) Prepare for the career you chose, and (4) Provide web resources specific to the career you chose.
Step 1: Select a Career: You will be presented with a listing of Associate's Degree entry-level careers. The list may be quite long. There are two ways you might like to use this list:
1) Filter - As you enter a word, you will filter (limit) the list of careers below
2) Browse the list (Don't Filter) - You can simply browse the list of careers. There may be many that you might never have considered. This may help you to discover entry-level careers that might be of interest.
Once you have identified a career of interest, simply click on it.
Step 2: Find a Job: After you have selected a career/job title above, you will see a form asking for your location. You will see several radio selection choices to utilize the job search site of your choice.
Step 3: Prepare For a Career: In this section you will gain access to detailed information to help you prepare for the career you selected. Information includes core and supplemental duties, general and specific work activities, knowledge required, essential and transferable skills required, day-in-the-life summaries, knowledge required, software skills required, preparation required, educational requirements, training and work experience required, local salary information, certifications, professional associations, current job listings for the job selected along with multiple similar job titles, and related careers (related to what they do, what they know, and what they're called).
Step 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated): Continue to scroll down the page and you will find tabs that will provide detailed (updated) links to occupational information specific to the career you selected. This information includes:
Videos: Provides a listing of video links related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Resumes: Sources for resume materials and techniques. This can help to get you started.
Job Description: Sources that provide job descriptions, which are vital to resume and interview preparation.
Interviews: Provides links that can help you to prepare for and successfully complete the job interview.
Step by Step: Provides links to resources that can help to organize the career search process.
LinkedIn: One of the best professional social media sites that provides links, opportunities, and networking specifically for careers and career development.
Step 1 of 4: Select a Career
Leading Books About Associate Degree Jobs ![]()
What entry level jobs can you get with just an Associate's Degree? Scroll through the picklist (below). These are entry level careers (1 year or less work experience) related to the Associate's Degree level, with at least 30% of job holders having an Associate's Degree. - 356 specific careers are listed. Select those careers that may be of interest - you will then get links to matching active job listings, and detailed resources to help you prepare.
You can use this form two ways:
1) Enter a Keyword - As you enter a keyword, you will filter (limit) the listing to those occupations that contain the keyword entered
2) Browse the list (Don't enter a keyword) - You can simply browse the list of occupations. There may be many that you might never have considered. This may help you to discover jobs that might be of interest.
OR - leave blank and scroll through the choices:
Select a Job Title - Sorted by Annual Salary -(scroll and Select) :
Legend: Career Title Link / (% having Associate's Degree or less) / (% having less than 1 year experience) / (Median Annual U.S. Salary)
Step 2 of 4: Find a Job
Job Listings for: Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.
Step 3 of 4: Prepare For a Career
Prepare for the "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians" Career
The details below will provide a pathway to your specific job goal and help you to identify an appropriate career ladder.
Description: Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Assemble and mount lenses into frames or process other optical elements. Includes precision lens polishers or grinders, centerer-edgers, and lens mounters.
Please click on a section below to expand and see detailed occupational information related to "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians":
U.S. Total Employment (2023):
27,500U.S. Total Employment (2033 est.):
30,600
Employment Change (2023-2033 est.):
3,100 (11.2%) Average Annual Job Openings (2023-2033 est.):
4,000
| Important Supplemental Job Duties (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 51 (%) | Description: Lay out lenses and trace lens outlines on glass, using templates. |
| Importance: 42 (%) | Description: Immerse eyeglass frames in solutions to harden, soften, or dye frames. |
| Importance: 31 (%) | Description: Remove lenses from molds and separate lenses in containers for further processing or storage. |
| Importance: 31 (%) | Description: Control equipment that coats lenses to alter their reflective qualities. |
| Important General Work Activities (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 74 (%) | Description: Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| Importance: 68 (%) | Description: Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles). |
| Importance: 67 (%) | Description: Working with Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information. |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. |
| Importance: 64 (%) | Description: Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| Importance: 63 (%) | Description: Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| Importance: 62 (%) | Description: Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects. |
| Important Specific Work Activities
How can you begin to build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. Specific Work Activities appear below: |
|
| Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly. | |
| Clean workpieces or finished products. | |
| Construct customized assistive medical or dental devices. | |
| Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references. | |
| Immerse objects or workpieces in cleaning or coating solutions. | |
| Inspect finished products to locate flaws. | |
| Measure dimensions of completed products or workpieces to verify conformance to specifications. | |
| Mount attachments or tools onto production equipment. | |
| Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment. | |
| Operate grinding equipment. | |
| Operate painting or coating equipment. | |
| Polish materials, workpieces, or finished products. | |
| Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements. | |
| Remove workpieces from molds. | |
| Repair medical or dental assistive devices. | |
| Select production equipment according to product specifications. | |
| Set equipment controls to meet cutting specifications. | |
| Shape glass or similar materials. | |
| Solder parts or workpieces. | |
| Weigh finished products. | |
| Knowledge Required (in order of importance)
For the Top 5 most important - How can you build experience and skill doing these? This will help now, to begin preparing for this type of occupation. |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 76 (%) | Description: Production and Processing: Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods. |
| Importance: 66 (%) | Description: Mechanical: Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance. |
| Importance: 65 (%) | Description: Mathematics: Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications. |
| Importance: 61 (%) | Description: Customer and Personal Service: Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. |
| Transferable Skills (in order of importance)
These are skills that can transfer across occupations and industries. For the Top 5 most important, how can you strengthen these skills now so they support both this career and future career flexibility? |
|
| Importance (%) | Description |
| Importance: 54 (%) | Description: Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Operations Monitoring: Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Quality Control Analysis: Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance. |
| Importance: 52 (%) | Description: Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others. |
| Day-in-the-Life Summaries These summaries show the main types of activities you are likely to perform on a regular basis in this occupation. How can you imagine your typical workday — using these examples to see if this type of work fits you? |
| Activity: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance. |
| Activity: Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects. |
| Activity: Fabricate medical devices. |
| Activity: Inspect completed work or finished products. |
| Activity: Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques. |
| Activity: Maintain medical equipment or instruments. |
| Activity: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment. |
| Activity: Operate cutting or grinding equipment. |
| Activity: Operate industrial processing or production equipment. |
| Activity: Position materials or components for assembly. |
| Activity: Position workpieces or materials on equipment. |
| Activity: Prepare industrial materials for processing or use. |
| Activity: Read documents or materials to inform work processes. |
| Activity: Remove workpieces from production equipment. |
| Activity: Select materials or equipment for operations or projects. |
| Activity: Shape materials to create products. |
| Activity: Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment. |
|
Software Skills These are examples of software tools commonly used in this occupation, organized from most to least important for your career preparation. How can you start learning or practicing the highest-priority tools so that you feel confident using them on the job? |
| Emerging Tech Skills |
| Electronic mail software: |
| Microsoft Outlook |
| Enterprise resource planning ERP software: |
| SAP software |
| Office suite software: |
| Microsoft Office software |
| Presentation software: |
| Microsoft PowerPoint |
| Spreadsheet software: |
| Microsoft Excel |
| Word processing software: |
| Microsoft Word |
| General Software Tools |
| Computer aided design CAD software: |
| Eyeglass design software |
| Medical software: |
| Electronic medical record EMR software |
| Preparation Required - How much preparation is needed to obtain this type of job? |
| Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed |
| Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training. |
| Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. |
| Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training. |
| These occupations involve following instructions and often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include dishwashers, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, counter and rental clerks, dental laboratory technicians, and security guards. |
| Education Required - by frequency of educational attainment This shows you details about the level of education most commonly held by workers in this occupation. How can you begin planning the educational pathway that will prepare you best for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Education |
| Frequency of Attainment: 56.4 (%) | Level of Education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) |
| Frequency of Attainment: 14.6 (%) | Level of Education: Some College Courses |
| Frequency of Attainment: 8.8 (%) | Level of Education: Post-Secondary Certificate |
| Frequency of Attainment: 6.5 (%) | Level of Education: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.8 (%) | Level of Education: Less than a High School Diploma |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.7 (%) | Level of Education: Bachelor's Degree |
| Frequency of Attainment: 3.7 (%) | Level of Education: Master's Degree |
| Frequency of Attainment: 1.4 (%) | Level of Education: First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. |
| Training and Experience Required - by frequency of training and work experience attainment This section shows you how often different types of training and work experience are required for this occupation. How can you start gaining the kinds of experience and training that are most common for this type of work? |
|
| Frequency of Attainment (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience |
| Frequency of Attainment: 27.1 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 25.9 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year |
| Frequency of Attainment: 23.2 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: None |
| Frequency of Attainment: 18.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 3 months, up to and including 6 months |
| Frequency of Attainment: 4.0 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 1.5 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years |
| Frequency of Attainment: 0.4 (%) | Level of Training and Work Experience: Up to and including 1 month |
| Certifications These are examples of certifications that may be important for this occupation. How can you begin exploring which certifications fit your goals and what steps you would need to take to earn them? |
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Certified Eye Bank Technician | |
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Technician in Precision Optics | |
| Professional Associations These associations connect people who work in this occupation or related fields. How can you start using these associations to learn more, build your network, or find mentoring opportunities? |
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Contact Lens Manufacturers Association (CLMA) | |
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Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) | |
Step 4 of 4: Career-Specific Resources (detailed and constantly updated)
This section contains detailed resources appropriate to "Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians". Explore these resources to start learning more. Links are constantly updated, so bookmark this page.
Here is a listing of videos related to this career. A great way to get a quick overview of the occupation.
Here are resources that allow you to see example resumes for this occupation. It may be helpful to see examples from others who have this type of experience.
Here are resources that provide job descriptions, which are vital for resume and interview preparation.
There are many great resources that can help guide you through the interview process. These links provide help in preparing and performing an effective interview, specific to this occupation.
Here are links to help guide you, step-by-step, to become a(n): Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Here are links to various posts and groups from LinkedIn ® that relate to this occupation. Great way to start building professional contacts in the field that might be most appropriate for you.
Developed by Dr. Ralph Jagodka, Ed.D., Professor Emeritus of Business Management at Mt. San Antonio College and author of the Harvard Business Impact article "What to Do When Students Ask You for Career Advice." - Full bio. © 2026 About This Page
