Chris Bennett: It pays to talk

Few careers offer the flexibility, pay and prospects of optics as Optician has been discovering in its series of Thursday night recruitment webinars (www.opticianjobsweeklywebinars.co.uk).

But it’s far from faultless. To get the best out of your career your have to manage your role, look ahead and be proactive with your employer. To do that you have to stay informed.

At the start of working life optometry students are the envy of their peers; virtually guaranteed employment and, for those prepared to travel, salaries north of £40,000. Set against a backdrop of student debt, scrapped graduate management schemes and last-in-first-out redundancy, optics is looking like a pretty good choice.