By Elyssa Joan Baniqued
Grocery store scanners, smartphones, fiber optic cables, eyewear, and projectors — these items are all products of one of the most in-demand industries in Colorado: optics and laser technology.
To meet that demand, Front Range Community College is offering the only program of its kind in the state.
It is one of many examples of how two-year degrees at FRCC can lead to high-paying careers.
With its state-of-the-art Center for Integrated Manufacturing, students can expect to learn precision optics production and to fabricate, assemble, and install optical instruments.
The program’s website says an average salary for a technician in the state is $71,692, and the program promises a quick job placement after graduation.
However, it is not as well-known as other career paths and thus, not seen as an option for potential students, said Krista Boddy, assistant director of admissions for FRCC.
Although this field is lucrative, the program at FRCC is in need of more students, she said.
Classes take place on the Boulder County campus, strategically located near several aerospace companies that use this technology to create lenses for satellites, among other things.
As for other in-demand careers, Boddy says that there’s a shortage of dental hygienists in Northern Colorado.
The community college received a grant from the insurance company, Delta Dental, to expand its dental programs. This grant, it allowed for the creation of an associate’s degree in dental hygiene.
Previously, FRCC only offered a dental assistant certificate.
Compared to a dental hygienist, whose average salary in the state is $106,073, a dental assistant earns half of that with $50,492, according to the program’s website.
With the cost of living rising in the state, the associate’s degree in dental hygiene becomes more attractive to students who need higher salaries to stay afloat.
No matter which path they take, all the students in the dental programs can take advantage of the Dr. Clarence Holmes Dental Clinic, also funded by the Delta Dental grant.
