Laser engineering is an advanced career in which employees work on lasers for the telecommunications, military and medical fields, and there are many technical skills required to become a laser engineer. A person wanting to become a laser engineer should hold at least a bachelor’s degree that emphasizes many forms of engineering; this helps to ensure the applicant adequately knows how to control a laser. The applicant also should know about various laser programs and be good with physics and math. Good problem-solving skills also can help someone to become a laser engineer, because problems with lasers are usually more complicated than standard work-related issues.
There are strict educational requirements for someone who wants to become a laser engineer; he or she should have at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering, but a master’s degree or higher will likely be better. Construction and manufacturing plants commonly require a bachelor's degree, while telecommunications and the military will likely require advanced degrees. The degree must emphasize many different areas of engineering, such as engineering physics, engineering science, and electronic and mechanical engineering. Classes also should emphasize laser creation and maintenance, or the applicant may not have any practical experience with lasers.
Lasers are often controlled with software, so the applicant hoping to become a laser engineer should know about many different laser programs and understand at least the basics of how to work with any laser software. If the applicant does not know about a specific program, he or she can typically get on-the-job training. Applicants also must be very good with physics and math, especially if a situation is hazardous and the worker does not have time to use a program or spectrometer to assess the danger. Outside of dangerous situations, physics and math skills will be used constantly and will make the job much easier for the worker.
A personal skill that is helpful for anyone wanting to become a laser engineer is problem solving. Most problems involving lasers are intricate and require a patient worker who can solve problems without becoming frustrated; otherwise, the work may never get done. For example, if a fiber optics cable stops transferring data in a telecommunications business, then the laser engineer must work on the cable to find out why it is not working. Few problems are identical, so the engineer must be able to change his or her methods to get the problem fixed the right way.
