Also called: Laser Systems Engineer, Laser Applications Engineer
Builds and improves industrial and medical laser systems that cut metal, weld, mark parts or treat patients.
A customer wants to cut thicker steel faster. You test different laser power and focus settings on scrap metal, watch the sparks through a safety window, and inspect the cut edges under a microscope.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in optics, physics, electrical or mechanical engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Optical Engineering, Optics & Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Not tracked separately by BLS; photonics demand is growing with AI data centers, lidar and AR.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps tune laser settings for each job; building, servicing and improving real laser machines stays hands-on.
Classes: Physics, Electronics CTE, Shop class, AP Calculus.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2199.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.