OPTICAL FIBER TECHNICIAN - Education and Salary

It is said that fiber optic is revolutionizing communications just like the phone 100 years ago. If you want to be at the forefront of technology, this is a good place to be. The "optics" comes from a concentrated beam of light, a laser, which can be used to transmit voice, data and video simultaneously: one billion or more bits of information per second. "Fibra" is a package of transparent, thin and thin glass threads. Fiber cables are smaller and lighter than conventional cables that use copper wires or coaxial pipes, but carry much more information and the flow of information is easier.

The combination of laser and glass offers a fast, reliable and economical means of telecommunications. Due to its advantages over metal wiring, fiber optic is rapidly replacing the cable of computers, photocopiers, medical equipment, navigation guidance systems and armaments.

Fiber optics are immune to interference from nearby lightning or electric motors, so there is no break in the television signal when someone gets rid of the kitchen or during a storm. Optical fibers do not "pass through their cables". There is no bleeding from the voices speaking on other lines during a telephone conversation. Secretly listening in conversations or disturbing is more difficult to do and easier to detect.

Fiber optic technicians help engineers to design and test new uses for fiber optics. They establish electrical and electronic experiments, which can lead to the development of new applications. The technology is still new enough to make experimentation exciting. We still don't know how far the optical fiber can go or where it will lead.

Some technicians repair and install existing laser and fiber optic devices and systems. These systems are most frequently found in current telephone and computer networks. Using spectrometers, they measure the frequencies of the light emitted by lasers and adjust them when necessary.

The most active field is the design of fiber optic systems that connect buildings and people. For example, some school systems are becoming fiber optic networks, so they have quick access to multimedia presentations that come from the information highway. Finding out where the cables are to be connected and where the splices are to be made depends on the technicians. The junction is performed with high power lasers that melt the cables and require the presence of technicians.

Experts predict that the creation of such networks will keep fiber optic technicians busy for many years. New uses, such as surgery or engineering, will open new fields of use in the next decade. Laser surgery has been in practice for a long time; now fibers are also used. The automotive and aviation industries are already studying the best way to use optical fibers.

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