Is "education" really the answer employers are looking for?

**Darryl Meister** · 05-06-2012, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by Johns

At this point, opticianry is not a profession, but rather a trade.

I think that the status of opticianry even as a "trade" is becoming more and more debatable.

Originally Posted by Chris

The only control of the market is on the big corporation level and they have adopted the newest child, opticals on line

Does anyone really wonder why? If consumers can no longer expect to be advised and fitted by a trained, skilled eyecare professional, it won't take long before most people are just ordering their eyeglasses off Amazon.com.

Best regards,
Darryl

**Johns** · 05-06-2012, 09:17 AM

Originally Posted by Barry Santini

Plumbers and electricians are tradesmen, and they make a hell of alot more than most opticians.

B

Yes, because the they offer a service that is needed, few others can do it, and they are trained.

**Johns** · 05-06-2012, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by Quantrill

ah, you're thinking of the unions. A "good" HVAC tech or electrician might make around $20 per hour in this part of the country. I'm a good optician and I make more than $20 per hour.

Unions have nothing to do with it. A good electrician, in the struggling economy of the rust belt of Ohio makes $47 per hour...non-union. I know, I just paid one $2,593.00 to install some lights and run a new line for my edger. And I shopped around.

**Johns** · 05-06-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by Darryl Meister

I think that the status of opticianry even as a "trade" is becoming more and more debatable.

Darryl

Agreed...I was being optimistic.

**Quantrill** · 05-06-2012, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Johns

Unions have nothing to do with it. A good electrician, in the struggling economy of the rust belt of Ohio makes $47 per hour...non-union. I know, I just paid one $2,593.00 to install some lights and run a new line for my edger. And I shopped around.

Damn. I need to move. Starting HVAC pay here is $11-13 (and that's if you went to school). Electrician is $13-15. No wonder it seems like we are always broke in these parts! Working for yourself really is the only way to make good money. Now if that guy you hired was on his own, then $47 is a very reasonable wage. If he was a good electrician who worked for someone else then his salary would be half that (I have multiple friends in the "construction trades" and I ask lots of questions).

Opticians with no experience start out around $8-9, typically with some commission available. I will say that I have 2 very good friends who have been in optical their entire adult lives (2+ decades) that make $20/hour. A buddy who is a union plumber makes $25/hour (he's been doing it for 7-8 years).

I guess you get what you settle for. I don't like to settle for mediocrity (from myself or my employer's checkbook).

To the original question - no, it does not seem that employers are looking for education. They want salesmen/women instead of opticians. I would like to see what it's like in some of the licensed states. I can only hope that the level opticianry is much higher than it is here. Perhaps a road trip is in order...

**gmc** · 05-06-2012, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by Quantrill

I would like to see what it's like in some of the licensed states....

They want an optician to keep themselves legal and troubleshoot. Then a bunch of frame stylists/salespeople.

**price** · 05-06-2012, 10:49 AM

I see you are thinking of the past think of the future it can happen. How do you think all the Essilor,Zeiss, Hoya and others are so large? As far as OD's alot did start there own groups to get more buying power. If you pay $50.00 for a item that you can get $10.00 that is a big savings and the chians are getting that break. John I think it great that you have that buying power, but I think at 20% to 30% at best guess if you can get 80% off this is a lot of power. You are a very savy business person. If you could get 50 or 100 more business together you will have more buying power. The bigger the numbers the better the buying power. That"s the facts

**Quantrill** · 05-06-2012, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by gmc

They want an optician to keep themselves legal and troubleshoot. Then a bunch of frame stylists/salespeople.

Unfortunately that is what I figured...
:(

**Judy Canty** · 05-06-2012, 01:35 PM

http://www.ecpmag.com/1webmagazine/2...eyeglasses.asp

**Chris Ryser** · 05-06-2012, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Darryl Meister

I think that the status of opticianry even as a "trade" is becoming more and more debatable.

Does anyone really wonder why? If consumers can no longer expect to be advised and fitted by a trained, skilled eyecare professional, it won't take long before most people are just ordering their eyeglasses off Amazon.com.

Best regards,
Darryl

Thanks Darryl....................You just made the real hit post on OptiBoard. Maybe some of the members here are going to believe it now, or at least admit it.
The trend is there and it should be admitted and make the necessary changes to keep at least a portion of the market the skilled ones can help.

**idispense** · 05-06-2012, 02:06 PM

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**Johns** · 05-06-2012, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by Quantrill

Opticians with no experience start out around $8-9, typically with some commission available.

Here's the problem. There is no such thing as an "optician" with no experience. I don't know what you'd call them, but it certainly wouldn't be an optician.

If, in the area you live and work, they call someone with no experience an optician, but then...

...2 very good friends who have been in optical their entire adult lives (2+ decades) that make $20/hour.

The persons that have been in the field their entire lives have gained no status, nor consumer recognition over the person that started yesterday!!!

So the guy that doesn't know the difference between a plano lens, and a plain old lens is looked upon as a peer to the lifer. Is that right? Of course, since there is probably no licensure in your state, there is no distinction between the person that has the skill and knowledge, and those who don't.

**idispense** · 05-07-2012, 01:07 AM

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**idispense** · 05-07-2012, 01:13 AM

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**idispense** · 05-07-2012, 01:22 AM

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**Johns** · 05-07-2012, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by idispense

as usual, you have all strayed from the question of why and how a partnership works and operates for Dr's lawyers, and accountants. you have done a fine job of labelling one as a trade and one as a profession and one as a service as opposed to a commodity , but otherwise applying labels make no difference to answering the question.

I thought the question was:

Is "education" really the answer employers are looking for?

And if that is the question, we couldn't be more on subject. It ALWAYS comes back to education. Even the topic of branding leads right back to education. How can something be branded if it can't be defined?

**Darryl Meister** · 05-07-2012, 11:26 AM

And if that is the question

Getting back to the point of the original question, "Is education really the answer that employers are looking for," I'd like to pose the followig question to those of you with children: How many of you are encouraging your kids to seek a college education after high school, versus "winging it" and hoping that they land some great job that doesn't happen to require any post-secondary education?

This topic speaks to a much bigger issue than whether or not opticians should seek formal education, which has already been rehashed ad nauseam in half-a-dozen other threads on OptiBoard.

Best regards,
Darryl

**EyeManFla** · 05-07-2012, 11:36 AM

My sone became a cabinate maker after high school...tried college for about a year.........and now he makes more money than me!!!!!!!!!

**Darryl Meister** · 05-07-2012, 11:40 AM

My sone became a cabinate maker after high school

But did you encourage him to become a cabinet maker when he was still in high school?

I also made quite a bit more money that my own father after graduating high school... And used some it to put myself through college.

Best regards,
Darryl

**Uilleann** · 05-07-2012, 11:56 AM

An interesting trend.

**EyeManFla** · 05-07-2012, 12:15 PM

My son had absolutely NO interest in optical...."none of your friends seem to live past 60"...ok, he had a point.......I did want him to go to college, and he may go back to finish his degree, not because he needs to, but because he wants to.

**idispense** · 05-07-2012, 03:54 PM

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**idispense** · 05-07-2012, 04:01 PM

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**idispense** · 05-07-2012, 04:13 PM

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**Wes** · 05-07-2012, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by Uilleann

An interesting trend.

So, out of 46.3 MILLION people on food stamps, 0.07% have a PhD, and 0.6% have a master's degree? That means that 99.3% of those ON FOOD STAMPS do NOT have a graduate degree. So it would seem that earning a graduate degree, and especially a PhD, would be a strong statistical indicator against ending up on food stamps. Sounds like a ringing endorsement for earning a graduate degree to me. Is there really any other way to interpret those numbers? Did you even try? Did the writer of the article?