Lasers are the future of precision cutting.
\nHave you considered making it your career?
\nSydney Sukuta has a Masters in Physics and
\na Ph.D. in Chemical Physics. He earned his
\nPh.D. at the University of Nevada – Reno, then
\ntransferred to the Silicon Valley and rotated
\nthrough several different laser companies here.
\nEventually, he realized he could teach a
\ncomprehensive course for lasers that can be
\napplied to any company here in the valley.
\nUltimately it would become a five-point program
\nthat covers:
\nn Manufacturing
\nn Testing (Quality Control)
\nn Research and Development (R&D)
\nn 3D Modeling and Printing
\nn Virtual Instrumentation (an automation
\napproach)
\nIn fact, \u201cit is the only program in Northern
\nCalifornia that is designed specifically to the Bay
\nArea\u201d – meaning, that you can get a job anywhere
\nin the valley.
\nQ. So what exactly is a laser?
\nA. \u201cA laser is essentially like a light bulb that
\nhas a prism. The prism-like device in a laser
\nselects one wavelength that is trapped in a box
\nand intensified while some of it is released to the
\noutside as a laser beam.\u201d The laser itself consists
\nof two parts: the EM-field (the light) and the
\noptics system (the box it sits in). Think of it like
\na car in simple terms. The car is the box and the
\nengine is the light.
\n\u201cSome laser companies make lasers\/laser heads
\nwhile others make laser systems.
\nYou can think of a laser\/laser head as the car
\nengine while the laser system is the car itself.
\nLaser systems are focused on specific applications
\nwhich include surgery, micro-machining,
\nophthalmic, 3D printing etc.\u201d
\nQ. What two facts are important to know?
\nA. The program: 1) bridges the gap from
\nknowing nothing about lasers to knowing
\neverything you need and 2) erases the fear of
\nmath. \u201cWhen most people think about lasers,
\nthey think about engineering them. This program
\nprepares you to be a laser technician \u2013 not
\nan engineer.\u201d And with the way the field is
\nexpanding, students \u201ccan work in a medical office
\nor a dental office, just as easily as manufacturing\u201d
\nalthough they may need more training. Also,
\nwhen it comes to Math, all you need is basic
\nAlgebra and the program guides you to exactly
\nwhat formulas are needed. There is no need for
\ncalculus.
\nESL learners only need conversational English.
\nQ. What is the Job Outlook?
\nA. If you choose to leave the area, your
\neducation from San Jose City College can also
\nland you in other, hot seat, laser-bed communities
\nsuch as: \u201cSan Diego, Petaluma and Los Angeles,
\nas well as Reno, Nev., Tucson, Ariz.\u201d Other east
\ncoast laser-bed communities are found in the
\nstates of New Jersey and Massachusetts.
\nQ. How long does the program take?
\nA. The unique program at SJCC, \u201ctakes four
\nsemesters to complete the most basic certificate
\n– Level 1. Level 3 requires taking math, physics,
\nand electronics. The associate\u2019s degree naturally
\ninvolves general core classes on top of Level 3.
\nQ. How quickly can students get employed?
\nA. Some proactive students, \u201cget hired before
\nthey are done with the schooling.\u201d This is due
\nto the wonderful amount of lab hours required
\napplying what is learned in the classroom. While
\nmost employers prefer 50 hours of lab time,
\nit is virtually impossible to achieve that much
\nwork-related experience outside of the work
\nenvironment. However, SJCC provides extensive
\nhours in just lab time – all tailored to local
\nemployer needs.
\nQ. What kind of pay students can expect
\nfrom future employers?
\nWith a degree, \u201cstudents that apply themselves
\ncan often achieve $40,000 to $60,000. Those
\nsalaries can come with full benefit packages:
\nhealth insurance, sick pay, annual leave pay,
\nclipper cards and many other perks.
\nQ. Who are these amazing employers that
\nseek out SJCC students?
\nA. The official SJCC Laser Technology
\nwebsite lists: \u201cNewport Spectra-Physics,
\nCoherent, Lumentum, DPSS Lasers, Lawrence
\nLivermore National Labs (LLNL), Stanford
\nLinear Accelerator (SLAC), Telesis, A-1 Jay\u2019s
\nMachining, Picarro, BD Biosciences, Abbott
\nMedical Optics (AMO), Cutera, and Sciton\u201das
\npotential employers.
\nFor more information on the Laser Technology
\nprogram, please contact the Applied Science
\nDivision at (408) 288-3781 or Professor Sydney
\nSukuta at Sydney.sukuta@sjcc.edu. Or visit the
\n100 Wing, Room 114.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lasers are the future of precision cutting. Have you considered making it your career? Sydney Sukuta has a Masters in Physics and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Nevada – Reno, then transferred to the Silicon Valley and rotated through several different laser companies here. Eventually, he realized…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":502,"featured_media":11147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"staff_name":[669],"class_list":["post-11143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","staff_name-daryl-von-dunker"],"yoast_head":"\n