On April 9, 2014, VP of Engineering Nick Lambert spoke on a panel hosted by the Optical Society of Southern California (“OSSC”) and the Cal Poly Pomona Career Center to speak about careers in the optics industry. The event took place at the Kellogg West Conference Center. The panel was hosted just prior to the OSSC’s monthly meeting, which was also attended by Precision Optical employees Sean Baume and Bo Wang. Nick was joined on the panel by Donald Pearson, President and CEO of TRIPOPTICS USA, and Valentina Doushkina, Director of Optical Systems of N2 Imaging Systems.
Moderated by former OSSC President Scott Rowe, the panel discussed various ways a recent graduate who is interested in optics can begin to pursue a career within the industry. In particular, the panel discussed the role of education internships as precursor to the hiring process. Nick used the example of Precision Optical’s newly-hired Optical Engineer Bo Wang, and described how his internship with the company blossomed into full-time employment. The panel also discussed what avenues recent graduates should take to find an internship, and the importance of networking in today’s job market.
Through Precision Optical’s education outreach platform, the ELOEP, Precision Optical implements its strong commitment to bringing highly skilled and qualified people into the industry. We are proud to partner with Irvine Valley College’s Op-Tec (http://www.op-tec.org/partnercolleges.php) program and the Bridge |2| Engineering (http://www.ocbridge2engineering.com/) program at Santa Ana and Saddleback Colleges. Presently Precision Optical has two interns, a student from IVC in Technical Sales, and a student from Saddleback College in Manufacturing. It is Precision Optical’s plan to significantly expand our workforce over the next five years, and we hope that many of our new employees will be former interns.
Interns at Precision Optical learn the fundamentals of optics, and specifically the manufacturing of plano substrates. Whether in sales, engineering, or manufacturing, interns get to see first hand how Precision Optical’s products are made, such as retro reflectors, porro prisms, mirrors, windows, thin film coatings, and optical assemblies. In addition, interns get to learn from highly experienced professionals who are among the best in the industry and receive an educational experience unlike anything than can be taught in a classroom.
At the end of the meeting, Nick received a one-year free membership to the OSSC for speaking on the panel, as well as for his numerous contributions to both the optics industry in Southern California and his continuing efforts to promote opto-photonics educational outreach.