Optical Prism March 2017 | Page 35

“ THAT ' S REALLY THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE - MAKING SURE THAT YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE CONSUMER IS LOOKING FOR . YOU WANT TO GIVE THEM THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE , KNOW WHAT ' S COMING UP AND WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE ASKING FOR .”
“ Everything they taught me I use every day .” What surprised her most in the time she ' s been working as an optician is how much education is needed to teach the public what opticians do and the importance of the work .
“ One of the main things people don ' t realize is how many options there are when it comes to lenses and the benefits ,” Wicks says . And the constant learning curve , reading up on changes in the optical industry and fashions , she saw how diverse optical specializations are .
“ Every time you go to a trade show they ' re always talking about new things , especially specialty-type things ,” Wicks says .
She says the tight-knit optical industry is welcoming to newcomers , and says trade shows have been a great opportunity to see cutting-edge technology , new frame designs and meet old ( and new ) friends .
That welcoming atmosphere has helped Wicks grow in her short time in the business , as the professionals she meets are knowledgeable and willing to help .
“ They ' re very willing to teach you and help you along the way ,” she says . “ Even those that I ' m not working with anymore , I can call them up and they ' re more than willing to help me out with a question or issue .”
What she enjoys most about the business though , is the impact she has and satisfaction she gets when she does her job well .
“ When people come in and it ' s their first pair of glasses , whether they ' re an adult or a child , and they put them on and they ' re just able to see everything , they find out they really didn ' t know what they were missing .”
Down the road Wicks says she ' ll continue dabbling into the different aspects of the business to see what she enjoys most , and if she wants to specialize .
For now , focusing on keeping up-to-date with the latest fashions and concurring education is her way of challenging herself in the field .
“ I ' m always online looking at new styles of frames - but I ' m a bit of a nerd that way ,” she says . “ That ' s really the biggest challenge - making sure that you know exactly what the consumer is looking for . You want to give them the best possible service , know what ' s coming up and what people are going to be asking for .”
Both personally and professionally , Wicks says she ' s happy she became an optician .
“ Every person who walks through the door is a new experience ,” she says .
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