Army · 68H
Your Optical Laboratory Specialist experience maps to civilian jobs like Ophthalmic Laboratory Technicians—and well beyond. Explore the specific roles below, see what each pays and requires, and build from there.
These are the civilian jobs the U.S. Department of Labor maps to 68H, plus the roles most closely related to them—ordered from the closest match. Think of them as a floor, not a ceiling: see what each role involves and pays, start where your Optical Laboratory Specialist experience already fits, and build toward the rest.
$37,720/yr mediantypical $30k–$56k~18K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Cut, grind, and polish eyeglasses, contact lenses, or other precision optical elements.
Why it fits: A direct Department of Labor match—your Optical Laboratory Specialist work maps straight onto the manufacturing & production side of this role.
$38,940/yr mediantypical $30k–$58k~12K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Grind, sand, or polish, using hand tools or hand-held power tools, a variety of metal, wood, stone, clay, plastic, or glass objects.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Optical Laboratory Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$42,610/yr mediantypical $33k–$60k~75K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Set up, operate, or tend grinding and related tools that remove excess material or burrs from surfaces, sharpen edges or corners, or buff, hone, or polish metal or plastic work pieces.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Optical Laboratory Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$46,410/yr mediantypical $32k–$68k~7K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Perform precision smoothing, sharpening, polishing, or grinding of metal objects.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Optical Laboratory Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$46,850/yr mediantypical $35k–$120k~3K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: Associate degree, apprenticeship, or vocational training
Repair and adjust cameras and photographic equipment, including commercial video and motion picture camera equipment.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Optical Laboratory Specialist occupations on the maintenance, repair & installation side—a natural next step.
$48,840/yr mediantypical $38k–$69k~400 U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Perform precision assembling or adjusting, within narrow tolerances, of timing devices such as digital clocks or timing devices with electrical or electronic components.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Optical Laboratory Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
$41,600/yr mediantypical $31k–$60k~128K U.S. jobs
Typical entry: High-school diploma plus short on-the-job training
Set up, operate, or tend more than one type of cutting or forming machine tool or robot.
Why it fits: Closely related to your Optical Laboratory Specialist occupations on the manufacturing & production side—a natural next step.
Source: O*NET / DMDC Military Crosswalk and O*NET related-occupations data, August 2024. Pay is BLS OEWS (May 2023).
Use the level that reflects what you actually did—not rank alone. Two people with the same code and very different experience should not submit the same résumé.
Lead with hands-on tasks, tools, equipment, qualifications, safety discipline, and the conditions in which you performed. Do not inflate supervisory scope.
Add team leadership, training, inspections, work allocation, quality control, readiness, and the people or assets you directly supervised.
Emphasize multi-team operations, schedules, resource forecasting, safety systems, policy enforcement, advising leaders, and organization-level results.
A translated title isn't enough. These four moves turn Optical Laboratory Specialist experience into evidence a civilian hiring manager can act on.
List the systems, vehicles, equipment, and tools you personally operated as Optical Laboratory Specialist—plus qualifications, certifications, and the recurring high-stakes tasks you owned.
Soldiers led, dollar value of equipment you were accountable for, workload, readiness rates, and safety or quality outcomes. Scope beats adjectives.
For any target role, name the license, degree, or software it requires and start now—your GI Bill and credentialing assistance can cover most of it.
Recruiters rarely search “68H.” Search job boards by the equipment, skills, and outcomes above as much as by “Optical Laboratory Specialist.”
You don't have to make this jump alone. These programs exist specifically to move service members into civilian careers—most are free, and several pay you while you train.
Train or intern with a civilian employer during your last ~180 days on active duty—at full military pay.
Earn a paycheck while you train for a trade or technical role; USMAP can credit the military training you already have.
Corporate fellowships and hiring events that place transitioning service members and military spouses.
Free career training and nationally recognized certifications for service members, veterans, and spouses.
VA-funded high-tech training (IT, cyber, data, software) that does not touch your GI Bill entitlement.
Free local career centers plus certification and state-by-state license finders for any field.
Registered apprenticeships in the skilled trades—your discipline is the prerequisite.
Maintenance, logistics, and operations pathways that actively recruit veterans.
How to use this: Treat these as targets, not limits. Your exact duties depend on your assignments, so lead with what you actually did—and remember that regulated careers require their own license, certification, or degree.