Etchers and Engravers vs Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians: $43K vs $39K Median Pay

Etchers and Engravers vs Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians: what changes?

Consider Etchers and Engravers if you want to engrave or etch metal, wood, rubber, or other materials. Consider Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians if you would rather cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Etchers and Engravers and Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Etchers and Engravers

National median pay (2025): $43,310
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Inspect etched work for depth of etching, uniformity, and defects, using calibrated microscopes, gauges, fingers, or magnifying lenses.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 800

Know before you choose

BLS projects employment to shrink 0.7% from 2025 to 2035. Openings can still occur when existing workers leave.

See the full Etchers and Engravers brief

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

National median pay (2025): $39,460
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Mount and secure lens blanks or optical lenses in holding tools or chucks of cutting, polishing, grinding, or coating machines.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,200

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (18,600 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians brief

How the national numbers differ

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians is at 2,200 annual openings, compared with 800 annual openings for Etchers and Engravers.

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians is at 2.2% projected growth, compared with -0.7% projected growth for Etchers and Engravers.

Etchers and Engravers has the edge on median pay

Etchers and Engravers is at $43,310, compared with $39,460 for Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians.

27.2/ 100

Etchers and Engravers

36.3/ 100

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Etchers and Engravers vs Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

Dimension	Etchers and Engravers	Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians
Median pay (2025)	$43,310	$39,460
Pay percentile	15.3 percentile	11 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	-0.7%	2.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	800	2,200
2025 employment	8,900	18,600
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Etchers and Engravers brief Read Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians brief

Etchers and Engravers vs Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Etchers and Engravers

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

How the national numbers differ

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Etchers and Engravers has the edge on median pay

Etchers and Engravers vs Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians

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