I am sure this has been asked to Optiboard before, but since I haven't been on here very long, can you tell me how I go about finding the average wage for an ABO Optician, and also an optician that doesn't have an ABO license, since I work in an unlicensed state?
If you work in an unlicensed state, having an ABO certification has little bearing on your wages. It does make you feel good personally though and looks nice on the wall.Originally Posted by THE MEB
I don't think any state is unionised, yet. As such what you can get is what you can get. Sometimes this is based on what you are worth. Sometimes it is based on lucky circumstances. Sometimes it's based on what you can sell. Sometimes it's based on what you look and act like.
There is no standard for this.
Some of the most ecconomicly successfull opticians are the most incompetnet.
Some of the least successfull are quite competent and just not very assertive.
Some of the most competent are the most successfull.
Some are just cousins of the owner.
Some are just sexy women.
Some are attractive men.
It all boils down to what you can do and what you can find.
No one tells your employer what he has to pay, no one tells him he can only pay so much, no one tells him he must meet some sort of minimum (at least above minimum wage).
Some opticians make $25,000 yearly, some make over $ 100,000 a year.
Don't look for some sort of certifercate to do it for you.
Chip
Last edited by chip anderson; 03-03-2008 at 06:08 PM. Reason: Chip
...but am too lazy to use the search function...
Okay, here's your answer...As was stated, it depends on your ability.
If you can't find out average optician wages in your area through other means, and can't even search a topic that's been covered over and over here...I'm gonna guess that you'll be paid about eight bucks an hour based on your initiative and ability to solve problems independently.
I'm in a generous mood, though, so I'm going to tell you a secret that might otherwise take you years to learn:
You earn money based on your ability to generate money, whether you own your own business or work for someone else. If you're not in sales (say, in a lab), you earn more money for the business by being more efficient and finding ways to reduce costs. If you're a salesperson, you generate revenue and sell the high-margin stuff.
I'm ABO certified, but if I relied on that for my living I'd be making 15 bucks an hour at most.
You must research your area, your competition, your own ability, and your own (and your employer's) potential...just like you need to do in any endeavor when it comes to that.
I apologize for sounding a bit of a jerk, but any answers you get here won't answer the questions that actually determine your worth.
Doubt if I am lazy, I have been an optician for 34 years, dispensing and finish lab manager for 30 years of that. It was a simple question about wages , I didn't expect to get your implied grief about my laziness and inabilities. I haven't been on Optiboard very long, maybe month and half. I have learned a lot, and love the back and forth to determine answers. I do not care, however, for some that make negative judgement calls on people. Thank you to those who gave me constructive answers to my question, much appreciated.
I'm not too sure about WV wages but Opticians in OH (licensed state) make between $15 - 25 an hour. Normally private Dr offices don't pay as much as retail offices. Your ABO should get you at least an extra few dollars. Just make sure you list all your experience and "wins" you have had in your career. You will need to sell your self and your abilities to the interviewer so they can justify why you should get paid a higher rate of pay than someone just walking in with no experience. Tell them what you can do for them.
I hope this helps. Blessings!
Don't give up on us all
This really (wages) doesn't have anything to do with yrs in the field, or even what you made before. All employers try and undercut and get away with paying low. And everyone knows one another , as all of us know. So here on the West Coast where living is high, we get no extra....and certainly our ABO' cert. can bite us in the A... for even hanging on the wall. Other employee jealousy. So the range is 15-21 hr.
If you work for a hosp. /clinic you perhaps get 401K and health benefits thrown in which is premium. It is not a lucrative profession, just addicting.
You can however, go on google and type in pay rates for jobs....something like that, I got this when I needed a baseline. Fed govt site pops up and rates us.....we are in the same gov't classification as Jewelers............for our tedious work with screws I guess.:bbg:
You know, I just came to this realization within the last couple of weeks. I don't do any eyeglass dispensing at the clinic; I do pretests, contact lens fittings and office management. But, because I'm not a money generator for the clinic, I will never be as valued as the dispensary staff. It's a depressing thought, and one that's making me rethink some hard life questions.
Sorry, that doesn't help you out THE MEB. But, I just had to comment since the quote struck a chord with me.
Everyone contributes to the office running smoothly. Some are more direct in the money stream, but just because you don't sell or produce the glasses doesn't mean you aren't contributing to the bottom line.
Imagine if the doctor didn't have a competent tech to do pretests, cl fittings and administrative functions..
Pretesting and cl fittings allow the doctor(s) in your practice to see more patients in a day, which brings additional revenue to the office. Without your assistance, the dispensary may not see as many patients.. missing their chance to shine.
Administration... you can have a high average dollar, you can use effeciency in the lab supplies, however if things are getting sent our for receivables or payables.. the office will be a mess. Someone has to put the time to put 2 and 2 together and see how the individual components are affecting the whole... THat also contributes to the bottom line.
Certainly areas that demand licensure have higher wages associated with them. Traditionally larger offices/clinics will offer wages and benefits simliar to a chain. Smaller private practices generally have the lowest wages, but have higher degrees of autonomy and more flexible schedules...
If you use the search feature at the top of the screen, you can pull up dozens of threads about wages. So much depends upon where you are at, what type of office and what you are doing for them...
Cassandra
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
The search feature is your friend!
Here is a post I made in another salary thread.
This is pulled off the Eyecare Business website.
December 2005 issue:
Issue: December 2005EYECARE BY THE NUMBERS
Show Me The Money
by Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC
A recent National Academy of Opticianry survey puts a spotlight on dispensing opticians' salaries around the country and provides an overview of the nation's best-paying positions for professionals in opticianry.
The statistics are the result of NAO's cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Employment Projections, in preparation of the recently released "Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-2007 Edition." This publication, which comes out every two years, gives job descriptions and future job demand.
Earnings estimates listed here focus on earning potential for dispensing opticians nationwide.
MEDIAN EARNINGS
At the final tally, median annual earnings of dispensing opticians were $27,950 in 2004. The lowest 10th percentile earns less than $17,390, while those in the 90th percentile bring home $45,340 each year.
The following chart provides an in-depth look at the national salary outlook for opticians.
National Employment Estimate and Mean Wage Estimates for Dispensing Opticians: EMPLOYMENT MEAN HOURLY WAGE MEAN ANNUAL WAGE 62,350 $14.37 $29,880 National Percentile Wage Estimates for Dispensing Opticians: Percentile 10% 25% 50% (Median) 75% 90% Hourly wage $8.36 $10.27 $13.44 $17.28 $21.80 Annual wage $17,390 $21,360 $27,950 $35,940 $45,340 Top-Paying Industry Segments for Dispensing Opticianry EMPLOYMENT HOURLY MEAN WAGE ANNUAL MEAN WAGE Management of companies and enterprises $19.09 $39,710 Colleges and universities $17.01 $35,390 General medical and surgical hospitals $16.86 $35,070 Outpatient care centers $16.48 $34,270
Last edited by Fezz; 03-04-2008 at 09:08 AM.
There is also a thread that has a bunch of views and opinions on salary that I find very informative.
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/show...ghlight=salary
Good luck!
:cheers::cheers::cheers:
You've been in the business 34 years and have no idea what average wages are? I think my criticism was not only constructive, but necessary.
I must admit I have been a little weak in this catagory, hence the question, and because I haven't been on Optiboard that long, I must also admit that I was not familiar with your search engine. For all of those who gave me information, I appreciate, it has been very useful. I have worked for the same pair of OD'S for several years, and they have paid me what I considered to be a fair salary, so I have never questioned internally, what others in my profession, with the same credentials, are making. Prior to working for them I was earning the big bucks as a district manager for a major chain store. I found very quickly that money, even though it's important to have to survive, is not the most important thing in my life, or what I base my successes on. Paul, I don't blame you, in retrospect, for the feelings you had towards my question, I just felt you could have been more constructive and less judgemental, but that's just me. Working for the OD'S was and is, what I was desgned for. We share the same attitudes towards patient care and conscientiousness towards excellence. This website helps me improve my opticianry, and for that I am very grateful.
I think that in southern california good opticians expect about $50K/year with benefits. But I'm sure that in less expensive parts of the country this would probably be less.
you would be correct, and no medical benefits to boot.
MEB, thanks for not thinking me a total jerk. I sound harsh, but it is because I've seen so many people get less than they deserve.
You might not have kept up with wages, but you can bet the people you've worked for were watching every penny and paying you as little as possible--which they should, their job is to make money.
Your job, however, is also to make money, unless you practice opticianry as a hobby.
The suggestion of 50k plus benefits was a good one, for a man of your experience. It might be more or less depending on you and the area you live in, and of course your responsibilities.
The ABO cert helps, but really more for a newcomer. I know someone with your experience knows more than most ABO-certified opticians, so if I were deciding what to pay you the ABO wouldn't come into it.
Unless you want to manage others and thus produce more with your knowledge than you can do as one man acting alone, your max pay will top out at a certain point. If you can pass on what you know and are a great motivator, your income potential is virtually unlimited.
I wish you the best.
wow Paul, thank you for that! I won't go into my credentials, but they are numerous. Like I stated before, I learned a valuable lesson when I was an unhappy DM, that if I based my success on the amount of money I made, then I would have to sacrifice the thing that makes me tick, and what makes the customers wait in line for my services, patient care.
Have to docs I have worked for for so long taken advantage of their cash cow, not just for patient care reasons, but management and leadership abilities? The answer has been a resounding YES. They don't even have a yearly evaluation for me, they quit doing that 10 years ago, when it always resulted in a raise. I understand that it is give and take, they have found what motivates me, they have given me the freedom to "do my thing" and make them beacoup bucks. Sometimes it does get the best of me, I am only human, hence the question of what are the normal salaries of an optician with an ABO.
Thanks again everyone for your answers, and motivating me to take advantage of your search engine too,lol
Send me your address, if you are paying $50,000 you are paying lots more than my friend in the business who lives in S. Ca. can find......... I will be knocking on your door in about 6 hours..............
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oessrcst.htm
Click on your state and then locate categorie 29-2081 (dispensing opticians).
Of course this only gives blank averages with no weighting of experience or additional certifications.
Hope this helps. :)
kk
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