Compare careers

Factual side-by-side attributes from the imported O*NET and BLS OEWS datasets. No career is ranked or recommended.

Career A (or your current career)

Opticians, Dispensing

Career B (or your target career)

Surgical Technologists

Opens your browser print dialog — choose “Save as PDF”.

Comparison table

MetricOpticians, DispensingSurgical Technologists
National median salary$47,260$64,650
Local median salaryNot publishedNot published
National employment73,530117,460
Typical educationHigh School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)Not recorded
Job zone33
Important skillsSpeaking, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Service OrientationMonitoring, Operations Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking, Time Management
Related careersSkincare Specialists, Phlebotomists, Radiologic Technologists and Technicians, Medical Appliance TechniciansMedical Assistants, Ophthalmic Medical Technologists, Respiratory Therapists, Neurodiagnostic Technologists

Career transition: skill overlap

Skill overlap

71%

12 of 17 target skills

Target-only skills

5

Current-only skills

2

Skill overlap compares O*NET skills rated at importance 3.0 or above for each occupation. It is a measure of listed skill overlap, not a probability of getting the job.

Shared skills

  • Monitoring+0.6 level
  • Active Listening
  • Time Management+0.2 level
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Speaking
  • Service Orientation
  • Coordination+0.4 level
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Judgment and Decision Making+0.1 level
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Social Perceptiveness

Only in Surgical Technologists

  • Operations Monitoring
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Instructing
  • Operation and Control
  • Learning Strategies

Only in Opticians, Dispensing

  • Persuasion
  • Writing